


Not Quite a Fairytale

by Kitsune_Moonstar



Category: Fullmetal Alchemist
Genre: Alternate Universe - Fairy Tale, Alternate Universe - Fantasy, F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-03-31
Updated: 2013-03-31
Packaged: 2017-12-07 03:03:54
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 27
Words: 25,857
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/743453
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Kitsune_Moonstar/pseuds/Kitsune_Moonstar
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>When a minor member of the royal family, Roy Mustang, gets sent to live his new teacher, the Baron Hawkeye, he has no idea how his life is about to change.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. A Hand In Friendship

**Author's Note:**

> I do not own FMA or its characters. Spoilers for Hawkeye and Mustang's past. This is AU.

**A Hand In Friendship**

Roy peered out of the carriage window, hoping to catch a glimpse of his new home. His mother had finally given in and was allowing him to begin an intensive study of alchemy. He didn't know why she had baulked for so long. After all, it wasn't like he was important. Roy Syaoran Mustang was the only son of the youngest Prince of Amestris and a Xing Princess. He was at most perhaps tenth in line for the crown, and at age nine, that seemed very far away to him.

So Roy was going off to live with Baron Hawkeye who was a well known alchemist. The man was most famous for his research into flame alchemy. Roy doubted he'd get to learn about that right away, but he was still excited about living with his new teacher and getting away from his three older sisters. The only drawback was that his best friend couldn't come with him. Still, he'd get to see Maes during the holidays, so that wasn't too bad, and maybe now his lessons would be interesting.

The carriage rolled to a stop and the footman helped his mother out. Roy jumped out on his own, eager to see his new home and meet his new teacher. The manor housed seemed rather old and shabby, but he didn't care. There was a woman waiting for them in the doorway. Perhaps this was the Baroness Hawkeye.

"Princess Li Ming, welcome to Hawk's Eyrie. I am the baron's housekeeper, Ellaine. There are room prepared for both you and your son. Supper will be served in a few hours, so there will be time for you to freshen up from your journey."

The woman (Ellaine, Roy reminded himself) led them to a suite of rooms while the footman dealt with their luggage. Roy was impatient. His mother was only staying overnight to make sure he would be all right. He thought it was unnecessary, but both his parents had insisted. Instead of staying in his room, Roy decided he should investigate his new home. It was easy enough for him to slip away from his mother as he had his own room.

Hawk's Eyrie was an odd place. It wasn't like the summer palace at all despite the fact that the manor house looked very much like it. Instead of the bright light and fresh air, the rooms here were musty and full of dust. Most of them looked like they hadn't been used in years. The furniture was all covered in white sheets, and all the windows were shuttered. It was almost like no one lived here.

Roy had just discovered the library when a flash of gold caught his eye. The library was one of the few rooms that looked like it was in use. It wasn't the biggest library he had ever seen, but it looked very interesting. And there was someone else in here. He carefully peered into the stacks, looking for that flash of gold again. Roy rounded a corner and nearly ran into it. He stopped short.

A little girl with golden hair was glaring at him. She looked to be a few years younger than he was, and her eyes were a shade some where between crimson and amber.

"What are you doing here?" she demanded.

He figured he had startled her. "My name is Roy. I'm going to be living here. What's your name?"

He offered his hand to her. She took it warily.

"I'm Riza."

"A pleasure to meet you, my lady." He bowed over her hand as he'd been taught.

She gave him a skeptical look. Roy smiled. Riza just shrugged.

"What do you mean you're going to live here?"

"Baron Hawkeye had agreed to teach me alchemy. I supposed to live here while I'm learning since it will take several years."

Riza frowned. "That would make you the prince. What do you want to learn alchemy for? It's not like you have to work for a living."

Roy flushed. Why did everyone have to harp on that? Just because he didn't have to do something for his country didn't mean he didn't want to help his country. Shouldn't royalty have more of a duty to their land than less?

"I'm not that important. Besides, it's the duty of the royal family to look after the well being of the country and its people. Alchemy is a way that I can do that."

She considered this then nodded. "All right."

"Do you live here too?" He didn't think the Baron had any children, but he didn't really know that. At least, not that anyone had mentioned to him.

Her frown came back and she mad a curt little curtsy. "Mistress Elizabeth Hawkeye of Hawk's Eyrie at your service, your royal highness."

Roy blinked. So the Baron did have children. Well, a child. At least he wouldn't be the only kid around, and Riza seemed interesting. Then Roy frowned. He had never heard mention of the Baron having a wife. Something told him that asking Riza about that right now would probably be a bad idea though. Instead, Roy offered her his hand. "Would you show me around the manor?"

Riza shrugged. "Sure."

She was an interesting little thing, and it was like pulling teeth to get information out her. During their tour of the manor, Roy managed to find out that Riza was six and an only child, that she didn't have any talent for alchemy, and there really weren't any other children at the manor itself. Riza seemed alternately wary of him and interested in him. Roy didn't think she knew that many people around her own age. She didn't act like most girls his age either. He hoped that she would decide to at least tolerate him. It would be nice to have a friend here.

The manor was mostly unoccupied. There was a servants' wing that housed at most ten staff members including the housekeeper and the groundskeeper. There was no one in the family wing save for Riza and her father. He and his mother were the only guests. According to Riza, the only visitors they ever had were other alchemists. Roy found this rather odd, but perhaps the baron preferred to be left with his studies. Still, wouldn't relatives visit? Roy could hardly think of a time when there wasn't family visiting at home.

A bell rang, and Riza frowned.

"That's dinner. We need to go to the dining hall."

"Do we have to change clothes or anything?" Roy made a face. At home dinner was always formal unless it was a special occasion.

Riza shook her head. "No, we're fine. Come on, Ellaine gets testy if we're not on time."

The girl led the way towards the dining hall she'd pointed out earlier. His mother was already there, and Roy made formal introductions. His mother seemed to intimidate Riza. The girl was very quiet and only spoke when directly addressed. However, Roy was distracted from trying to puzzle this out by the entrance of Baron Hawkeye. Or at least, that's who Roy assumed this was. He and Riza shared the same color hair and eyes. The man was tall and lanky with rather unkempt hair, though he did dress well.

Roy shivered as the man looked at him. There was something dead in his eyes. Who exactly was his teacher? Roy felt a little better when the man's attention turned to his mother.

"Princess Li Ming, it take it this is the boy."

"Yes, Baron. This is Roy." His mother smiled. "Thank you for agreeing to take him on as a student."

"Well, if he lives up to the potential he's shown, it will be worth it."

Dinner began. The adults spent most of the time conversing about alchemy, and Roy did his best to follow the conversation. He knew that his mother's alchemy training in Xing had been much different than what was taught here in Amestris, but truthfully, he didn't really understand why. He thought that his mother and the baron were discussing though he really only understood about one sentence out of ten.

After dinner, Baron Hawkeye announced that Roy's lessons would start tomorrow after he had seen his mother off. Roy went to bed feeling both nervous and excited. A servant awakened him the next morning with a breakfast tray. The rest of his morning was spent with his mother. Riza appeared as the servants prepared the carriage. Roy watched as his mother was handed up into the carriage. Li Ming waved to her son as the carriage pulled away, and Roy suddenly felt very alone. A small hand slid into his own, and Roy looked down to meet Riza's eyes. She smiled at him, and he didn't feel so alone.


	2. Daily Lessons

**Daily Lessons**

With a sigh, Roy settled down in the library to do his reading. There had been quite a bit more of that than Roy had expected. His teacher was a stern task master, but Roy had already learned more from the man than he had in his previous years of study. It had taken some getting used to, but Baron Hawkeye was a good teacher if rather abrupt and cold. He made Roy work for everything he learned, but the lessons stuck with better for it.

Life at Hawk's Eyrie was quite a change from home. It was much quieter here, and Roy found he actually liked that. It didn't necessarily mean that he was alone all the time. Riza often joined him with her own studies, the two of them sharing the same space while working on their own. Riza made for a good companion. She wasn't silly like his sisters and actually was interested in the lessons assigned to her. Well, most of them, anyway.

Riza made life here much more bearable. If it had been simply Roy and his teacher, he wasn't sure he would want to stay. Baron Hawkeye was brilliant, but Roy wasn't entirely sure that he was human. He didn't seem to care about anything other than alchemy, not even his daughter. And frankly, that scared Roy a little. His own father was distant much of the time, but Roy had always known that the man loved him. Baron Hawkeye never seemed to show any signs of affection towards Riza. Half the time he didn't even seem to realize that she was there.

Roy had so many questions about his new home. Most of them he wasn't about to ask anyone here. He had learned early on not to mention Riza's mother to either the Baron or Riza. But there were other things to be curious about. There were barely any visitors to the manor. It seemed odd that someone as intelligent as the Baron wouldn't be more sought out by his scholastic peers. And Roy couldn't understand why no family ever came to visit. There had to be some relatives somewhere. The Hawkeye family didn't have to be as enormous as his own, but it had to exist somewhere.

He filed all those questions away to ask when he went home and concentrated on his studies. Riza shifted on the couch beside him. Roy looked up from his book to find her staring out the window. For all the Riza was a good student, she would much rather prefer to be outside. If it were up to her, her days would mostly be spent horseback riding and at target practice. Riza was an incredibly good shot for someone her age, something she attributed to her grandfather. That had been the only time Roy had ever heard her mention family other than her father.

"Bored already?" he asked.

"It's just a really nice day." Riza gave him a half smile. "The weather is going to start getting bad soon. Once we hit October, we'll be lucky if we see the sun more than once or twice."

"I suppose we could always study outside." He gave her a smile. "As long as we're back in time for our lessons."

Their individual lessons were back to back in the afternoon. Riza typically just got quizzed on whatever her father had set her to study previously and then was given a new assignment. Roy wasn't that lucky. Once his lesson started, it didn't end until it was time for dinner. He really shouldn't complain though. He had come so far in his studies in just three months. At this rate, he would be able to choose a specialty in alchemy by the time he was a teenager.

The two of them settled under a large oak tree out of sight of the manor's windows. It was still warm out despite the fact that fall technically had already started. Riza had brought along her pistol. One of the things Roy had learned early on was that you didn't question Riza's ability with a gun or her determination to master the weapon. She felt as strongly about that as he did about alchemy. She hadn't ever explained why, but Roy hoped she'd tell him sometime. There was no use in trying to get answers from her if she didn't want to give them. Riza kept her secrets well.

"I only have a few more months before I have go home for Midwinter." He sighed. "I probably won't be back until the end of January."

"Oh."

It was only one syllable, but it told him a lot. Riza didn't think he would come back. Roy was smart enough to know that if he didn't want their friendship to suffer, he'd better make it clear that he would be back.

"I have to go to the court celebrations, you see, and they take forever. It's like a giant family reunion, and I spend most of it avoiding getting my cheeks pinched by well meaning relations. Mama always makes us go though." He grinned at her. "So what do you want for your Midwinter gift?"

Riza actually blinked at him. He had finally managed to startle her. However, he wasn't getting an answer.

"So? A new doll? A piece of jewelry?"

"You don't have to get me anything." Her voice was very soft.

"But I want to. Just give a hint." He wheedled.

"I don't need anything."

Roy was going to get her something anyway, but he let the subject drop. Instead, he made the most of the next few months. When he finally did have to leave, Roy had a good idea of what he was going to get Riza for Midwinter. He suffered through the usual court festivities and tried to get a few answers. His mother wouldn't tell him anything about Riza's family. She said he was too young to understand. Roy hated it when adults told him that. Still, as he managed to find what he was looking for for Riza's Midwinter present, he would call the trip a success.

His homecoming at Hawk's Eyrie wasn't anything special, but Roy found himself glad to be back. Baron Hawkeye did not join himself and Riza for supper, but that was fine in Roy's book. After dessert, he caught her before she went off to bed.

"Happy Midwinter, Riza?" He held out the package.

She looked startled but took the gift.

"Open it," he urged.

Riza carefully pulled the paper away to reveal a professional gun cleaning kit. Her eyes went wide, and she clutched at her gift. Her smile was blinding.

"Thank you, Roy." She paused a moment. "Wait here."

Riza disappeared from the room for a minute then returned with a small package. She pressed it into his hands and kissed his cheek. "Happy Midwinter, Roy."

He opened it to find a pair of leather bound journals.

"For your own alchemic research," she explained.

Roy beamed. "Thanks."

They shyly parted ways to go off to bed, and Roy felt that he had put at least something he had learned to good use.


	3. Falling Slowly

**Falling Slowly**

Riza sighed as she closed her book. The past year had brought something of an increase in the amount of her lessons. At Ellaine's insisting, things like etiquette and deportment were now subjects she was required to learn. Most of it was things that Riza doubted she would ever use. In all likelihood, the closest she would ever get to the Royal Court would be the time she spent with Roy, and he didn't want her to treat him like royalty. In the eight years since he had become her father's student, Roy had become something more than just casual acquaintances.

He was really the only one around her age that she saw, so Riza supposed it was inevitable that they would become close. Even with all their years together, there was still an odd formality between them. And while Riza would say she knew Roy Mustang, she could not say that she really _knew_ him. As they both had grown older, her father had increased both of their workloads. They rarely had much time on their own anymore. Riza didn't know if that was on purpose or simply a side effect of the growing intensity of Roy's studies.

Part of her missed the hours they used to spend together. Another part warned her that she was going to get too attached to him, and that he wouldn't be around forever. In fact, unless her father was willing to teach him flame alchemy, Roy would be leaving soon. Roy had pretty much mastered all the other aspects of alchemy. She didn't really want to see him go. Riza trusted him more than just about anyone else she had met. Roy was the first person she had met who hadn't treated her differently after finding out about her mother.

Elizabeth Hawkeye was still quite alive. However, she had found that life as the wife of a reclusive scholar and mother of a little child had not suited her at all. When Riza had been four, her mother had divorced her father and remarried a more entertaining noble. Riza had stayed with her father. In part it had been because Hawk's Eyrie was all she knew and in part it was because her mother didn't want the bother of caring for a little child. Most nobles blamed her father, and Riza knew that they were not well thought of in social circles. The only person she had any contact with from her mother's family was her grandfather. He was a general in the army though, and she seldom saw him in person.

It complicated matters that her mother had been the one to run all of the administration of her father's lands. She still did. Riza saw her perhaps once a year when she came to Hawk's Eyrie to deal with the yearly paperwork. Thankfully, Roy had never been present for her visits. Riza did her best to make herself scarce during those visits. They were not pleasant, and her mother never seemed to be satisfied with her. It had been inevitable that Roy would find out about the situation at some point. He spent most of the major holidays at the Royal Court, and gossip was everywhere.

But that knowledge hadn't altered her relationship with Roy, and that was something she was grateful for.

"Woolgathering isn't like you, Riza."

She started. She hadn't heard him come up behind her. Roy rest his hands on her shoulders and peered over her shoulder. "Yeech. Dinner party manners. No wonder you're woolgathering."

Riza could see Ellaine heading towards them. "Can I help you with something, Mr. Mustang?"

Roy made a face at her. He hated it when she used formality with him. The Mr. Mustang was a compromise. By all rights, she should address him as your highness, but Roy had practically forbidden her from using that title. For the most part, Roy liked to be called by his name. Riza had only ever seen him use his rank once, and that had been the one time the two of them had made a trip together to the local market. One of the merchant boys had been nasty to her, and Roy had leapt to her defense. Riza still wasn't sure what had prompted that reaction, she could take care of herself, but it had been nice to have someone else on her side.

"I thought you were still in your lesson, Mr. Mustang." The housekeeper entered the room. "Do you need anything?"

Roy sighed. "I was just coming to see if Miss Hawkeye had her tea yet. I was hoping for some company."

Ellaine gave him a long look but sent them off to the parlor, promising their tea shortly. Roy flopped into one of the more comfortable chairs.

"I swear that woman keeps getter stuffier every time I talk to her. You'd think I was some sort of cad. You're not even of courting age yet."

Riza made a face. She doubted anyone would seriously court her ever. "Apparently I have to start practicing now. Ellaine assures me that I will never be a proper lady otherwise."

He made a rude noise. "You're a fine person. She doesn't need to muck that up with court rules. I doubt they ever made anyone a better person."

Riza bit back a smile. He ran a hand through his hair. "Anyway, I'm going to be leaving next week, and I wanted to know what you wanted for Midwinter."

His asking what she wanted for Midwinter had become habit. She never gave him an answer, but somehow Roy always managed to find the perfect gift. It had become something of a game between the two of them. Roy reached over and tucked a strand of hair behind her ear.

"You know, I'm going to turn eighteen this year, and I'm almost done with my training unless your father decides to teach me flame alchemy. This is probably my last year here." He sighed. "Once I reach my majority and complete my training, I'll probably have to take up some position in the government."

She bit back a sigh. It wasn't new information, but it wasn't something she really wanted to think about right now. His leaving would hurt more than she liked.

Roy was still talking. "We both know that I'm a lousy letter writer, but I don't want to lose touch with you. You're too important to me."

Their conversation was interrupted by the arrival of the tea tray. Riza served them both like a proper hostess. She passed Roy his cup, their hands brushing. Riza felt a familiar spark at the contact. Roy caught her eyes.

"Even if I don't come back here after my studies end, you are going to matter to me."

She nodded. "I know."

"Good."

They finished their tea in quiet, but Riza thought that something had changed.


	4. Space Between

**Space Between**

Roy sighed and rubbed his eyes. He really was not suited for the military life. All of the paperwork was beginning to run together. The saying might be an army runs on its stomach, but the truth was it ran on paperwork. Since his completion of his alchemic studies, Roy had been assigned to the military. He supposed it was a rather tradition position for younger sons and lesser nobles.

Truthfully, Roy liked it here at Eastern Headquarters. His commanding officer, General Grumman, was an interesting man, and Roy found himself learning much more from him than expected. Their daily chess matches proved to be challenging on a number of levels. Roy probably had learned more about tactics and strategy from them than anything else. Their only drawback was Grumman's tendency to go on and on about his granddaughter. The man kept trying to marry her off to Roy. She sounded like a very nice woman, but Roy couldn't see himself settling down anytime soon. Besides, there was a blond with an interest in shooting that popped into his head when he thought about settling down.

He had made some good friends here as well. Maes Hughes was cheerful, friendly, and sharp as a knife. Technically, he was intelligence, not military but he was assigned to the Eastern Army. Maes was a minor noble and completely obsessed with his childhood sweetheart, Lady Gracia Isley. He was also the best friend that Roy had ever had. Maes understood him in a way that most of his peers at court never had.

But he missed Riza too. Roy had spent so many years with her at his side that it often felt strange not to have her there now. Maes didn't share her love of literature nor her musical skills. Roy was happy here, but he'd be happier if Riza was around as well. He worried about her sometimes. He didn't know what would become of her. She clearly wasn't interested in a life spent at court, and Roy doubted that she would be content simply to be a noble's wife. Truthfully, he didn't know what she wanted do with her life. Riza had always been silent on that particular subject. Sometimes, Roy wondered if she simply planned on staying at Hawk's Eyrie and caring for her father. The man's health had been deteriorating every since Roy first met him, but his last few years there it was clear that the Baron was very ill.

It didn't seem fair that Riza would put her life on hold because of her father, but there wasn't much that he could do about it. Not right now at least. Riza hadn't even reached her majority yet. Technically, she couldn't do much of anything without her father's permission. Well, if her mother gave her permission she could, but Roy doubted Riza would ever willingly have anything to do with her mother. The woman had simply hurt her too much. So at least for another few years, Riza was simply stuck there.

With a sigh, Roy reached for another piece of paperwork. He had to get this stack done before his chess match today.

* * *

Riza closed her eyes for a moment before returning to the task at hand. As much as she hated mending, it needed to be done, and there wasn't anyone else to do it right now. She wouldn't ask Ellaine to help with this. The woman had enough on her plate with handling the cooking and the cleaning. The staff at Hawk's Eyrie had been reduced to Ellaine and Geoff, the groundskeeper. Both of them had been here since before she was born.

She sighed. Her world was falling apart. Her father's health had never been good, but in the last few years, she had watched him steadily deteriorate. He was coughing up blood now and hardly ever left his rooms. There were other things that made her worry as well. Sometimes her father didn't seem to know who she was, and lately it seemed that his research was consuming him more than ever.

Just the other day he had asked her to help him with it later this week. Her father hadn't involved her with any alchemy or research since he found out that she had no aptitude for it. Despite the fact that she had agreed, the request unnerved Riza. If this had been before, she would have talked over with Roy. She could always count on him to listen to her without dismissing her thoughts and feelings.

Riza missed Roy. She missed having someone to talk over things with. For all that they had known her her entire life, Ellaine and Geoff still treated her as if she was the lady of the manor. Roy had always treated her as an equal even if he technically outranked her. She missed having someone to discuss music and literature with. She missed being able to tease him about getting out shot by a girl three years younger than him. And she missed his ability to bridge the gap between herself and her father.

Refocusing on her mending, Riza sighed. Her life was on hold right now. Unless her father died or recovered, she couldn't leave. She hadn't left with her mother, and she wouldn't leave while her father still needed her. Truthfully, it didn't matter too much. Riza wasn't sure what she would do with her life. She wanted more than the life of a country noble's wife, but judging from Roy's stories, the Royal Court was not where she wanted to be either. The military really was the only place she could think of that would suit. It was unusual for girls of noble birth to enlist, but not unheard of. She was a good marksman after all, and her maternal grandfather was a general.

None of that mattered right now. As long as her father needed her, Riza would stay here. Sticking her finger in her mouth, Riza set aside the mending. She needed to find a thimble before she permanently injured herself.


	5. In Shadows and Sunlight

**In Shadows and Sunlight**

Roy was mildly surprised when Riza greeted him at the door. Typically, Ellaine handled all of the greeting of guests. He was more concerned with how pale and worried she looked. Without a thought, he pulled her into his arms for a hug. Riza froze for a moment then clung to him tightly. Roy hid his frown in her hair. Something was wrong here. He held her tight for a few minutes before drawing back.

"Hey, is everything all right?"

She couldn't quite muster a smile. "Father has been feeling very poorly as of late, but I'm sure he'll be happy to see you. He's been very busy with his research lately."

Roy frowned. Riza was avoiding the subject. He did not like this. As Riza led him inside, Roy noticed how shabby things were looking. Baron Hawkeye had never been one for entertaining, but the house had never been this closed up before. It looked like even the dinning room was no longer in use. Riza led him into one of the smaller sitting rooms.

"Would you like tea or something? We weren't expecting you, so I'm afraid there really isn't much in the house to eat, but I'm sure we can scrounge up a proper tea."

She was rambling. Roy caught her elbow and led her to the couch, forcing her to sit down. With as gentle a voice as he could muster, Roy asked, "Riza, what's wrong?"

Her amber eyes closed a moment then she met his gaze. "Father is dying. I don't when it will be, but I don't think he will survive this. He hasn't been willing to see a doctor for at least a year now. And there had been a decrease in funds in the past year and a half. We've had to let most of the staff go."

He took her hand in his. "Do you know why?"

"Why he's dying or why we don't have enough money to run the household properly?" She sighed. "I don't know what's wrong with Father. He won't tell me, and he won't let me call a doctor. The money, I'm not sure about."

He ran his thumb over the back of her hand, waiting. Riza sighed.

"Mother," she hesitated on the word, "says that the land has not been doing as well lately, and so there is not as much tax revenue. I don't know enough about the state of things to know if that's true or not."

Riza shook her head. "I should go see if Father is feeling up to guests. I'll be back in a few minutes."

She hurried out of the room, and Roy was left with his thoughts. He was going to need to look into the finances here. If something happened to Baron Hawkeye, Roy wanted to make sure that Riza was taken care. Knowing her as he did, Roy was well aware that she probably wouldn't accept it if he offered her financial help. She was stubborn like that. He would have to find a sneaky way to get her to accept his help if necessary.

Worrying about Riza was a good distraction to keep him from worrying about his teacher's reaction to his visit. The Baron had never been fond of the military, and given what Roy was here to speak to him about, things could turn ugly. And that was without throwing Roy's concerns about Riza. The Baron had become touchy about his daughter as both she and Roy had grown older. Roy wasn't sure if it as just over protectiveness when it came to his daughter and men or if it was particular to him.

The young woman in question reappeared in the doorway. "He's feeling strong enough for visitors. Father's up in his study."

Roy nodded and squeezed her shoulder as he passed. They would talk more later, but he needed to get this over with. The Baron's study was mustier than he remembered, and Roy was hard put not to show his distress over the man's condition. He barely looked alive anymore. The Baron frowned at his uniform.

"So I see you ended up in the military after all."

Roy shrugged. His hands were cold, and he gripped them together nervously. "It was where my family felt I would best serve the country. And I've been good at it so far. I would like to become a State Alchemist and have my alchemy be used for the people through that."

"It's a waste to teach someone who degrade himself by becoming a dog of the military."

"I still think that serving in the military can be linked to being useful to the people of this country. Just think what you could do for the people with your alchemy, and you would be able to continue your research with full funding from the crown."

The man smiled wryly. "There's no need for that. My research was perfected a long time ago, and I was satisfied. Alchemists are human beings who as long as they are alive cannot stop searching for the truth. When they stop their searching, the 'alchemist' would die. That is why I am a human being who died a long time ago."

Roy did not like the sound of this. The baron almost sounded suicidal.

"Please don't talk like that. If you would please use that power for the people--"

"Power? So you want power, Roy?" The man began to cough, and Roy was horrified to see blood on his lips. "Since I saw your growth with my own eyes, I thought of bestowing it on you."

He was coughing harder now. His entire body was shaking with each cough, and he was clearly spitting up blood. Roy moved closer to try and help support the man.

"But my research…my daughter knows it all…" The man was barely breathing. "If you are saying you will use my alchemy…my power…in the right way, she will probably give the research to you."

Roy was more concerned that the man was dying in front of him. This was not the time to be worrying about the damn research.

"I'm sorry. I was so immersed in my research that I couldn't do anything for you. I'm sorry, Riza." The man was fading fast. "Roy…I'll leave my daughter to you…"

He collapsed then. Roy yelled for help and grabbed the man to keep him from falling out of the chair. There was a soft gasp behind him, and Roy turned to find Riza clutching the doorframe, her eyes wide and horrified.

"Call a doctor. Quickly." Roy wasn't sure it would make any difference, but he didn't really want Riza to have to watch her father die in front of her. If it was a peaceful death, it might have been closure for her, but this wasn't going to be a peaceful death.

It was all over very quickly. The baron was dead before the doctor even arrived. Roy didn't really pay much attention to the man once he had arrived though. He was more concerned about Riza. Roy kept himself at her side as they dealt with the whole mess. He knew her pretty well. Riza wasn't going to show her emotions about this when anyone else was around. She might not even share them with him. But Roy was bound and determined to make sure she knew that she wasn't alone.


	6. Secrets in Flesh

**Secrets in Flesh**

Roy kept her hand trapped in his throughout the entire service. Riza knew it wasn't strictly appropriate, but she was grateful none the less. She didn't know what she would have done without him the past few days. Roy had taken over everything, making the arrangements for the funeral and the burial. It was something of a relief not to have to worry about all of that. And while under most circumstances Riza would have found Roy's hovering annoying, right now it was very welcome. He kept her from feeling alone. Right now it would be all too easy to get swallowed up by her fear, guilt, and sadness.

She didn't know what she was going to do next. It had been clear to Riza that she was not suited to running the estate, and she didn't really have any viable skills to live off of. She could always marry, but that was not what she wanted. At least, not unless she was actually in love with the man. A marriage of convenience was not in the cards for her. There was also the matter of her father's research. Riza already knew what her decision about that was. Unfortunately, she really hadn't had the chance to broach the subject with Roy. She had tried once or twice, but he had brushed her off, telling her there would be time for that later.

Now, with her father buried and the funeral reception over with, Riza figured it was time for them to address the subject. She was a little nervous about it. Not about giving Roy the information, she knew that was the right decision, but about actually showing him the research. The only person who had ever seen that much of her before was her father, and at the time, she had been in too much pain to really care. This would be different though. It also didn't help that she had what was at least a crush, if not more serious feelings, on Roy. She didn't know how he was going to react to the information either.

Once she was sure everyone had left, Riza led Roy into the library. It had the best light in the manor house. She locked the doors behind them. Privacy was a must for this.

"Having you take care of everything for my father's funeral, I can't thank you enough for that." She offered him a shy smile.

"Don't worry about it." Roy shook his head. "It's the least I could do for the two of you. What will you do from now on?"

She shrugged. "I need to think about it. At least Father made sure I had a proper education. I'll be able to figure something out."

"I see." He let out a deep breath. "If you ever need any help, you know you can contact me through the military. I'm probably going to be in the service for the rest of my life."

"For life?" Riza found herself asking with out thinking.

"Yeah. I can't really see myself getting into court politics at this point, and I seem to be pretty good at the military stuff. I think I can help protect the people of the country that way. As long as I can do that, I think I'll be happy." Roy ran a hand through his hair. "That's the reason I wanted to become an alchemist. Even though I wasn't able to learn your father's techniques in the end. Sorry, I don't mean to ramble on about my foolish dreams."

"I think it's a wonderful dream." Riza hesitated a moment then continued, "The research my father left behind, he said that it would be impossible for an average alchemist to decode."

Roy blinked. "So he left behind his manuscripts after all?"

"No." Riza bit her lip. "They're not manuscripts. He said it would be a problem if his research fell into the wrong hands or was lost."

Roy was frowning now. "Then how did he leave them behind?"

"That dream of yours, that there can be a future where we all can live in happiness, can I entrust my back to it."

There was something in his eyes now. She could tell he was close to understanding. Riza carefully unbuttoned her jacket. She had deliberately worn a blouse that would show part of her back. Turning away from Roy, she slipped the jacket off, knowing that some of the crimson lines on her back would be visible to him. Riza heard a sharp intake of breath, and before she could speak, she found herself wrapped in a backwards hug. Roy held her tightly against his chest, and his face was buried in her hair.

"I'm sorry, Riza. I'm sorry. He shouldn't have done this to you. You're not notebook paper."

She was startled. Of all his possible reactions, she had not foreseen him being upset for her. When she had agreed to accept her father's research, she had not known exactly what it had entailed, and by the time she did, it was too late to refuse. Riza relaxed a little in Roy's embrace, and he pulled away somewhat. Soon Riza could feel gentle fingers tracing the markings on her neck and the top of her shoulders. She pulled away from him then, moving to draw the curtains and then sitting done on the couch. Roy seemed confused until she started removing her blouse.

"You'll need to see the entire thing."

Riza had seated herself so he couldn't see her front and discarded her blouse. She felt the couch dip with Roy's weight, and then his careful fingers touched her back again. Roy's fingers felt so different than her father's. Roy's touch was warm and extremely gentle as if he was afraid he would break her.

"Are you sure about this, Riza?"

She nodded. Roy took a deep breath.

"All right. Let's get started."


	7. Sand and Ash

**Sand and Ash**

Roy squinted in the bright sunlight. The desert was unforgiving, and it was easy enough to get lost in the expanses of sand and bright light. If he had been here for another reason, Roy had the feeling he would find great interest here, both in the desert itself and its people. But Roy was here to destroy the enemies of Amestris. Unfortunately, Roy was beginning to wonder if those enemies existed more in the mind of the king than in reality. Yes, there had been attacks and raids on cities and merchant groups on the edge of the desert, but there had always been those attacks and raids for as long as Roy could remember. They littered the history of the region.

For the most part, the Ishbalans were fairly peaceable and traded with the Amestris. They lived a hard life in the desert, but they seemed happy with it. Roy wasn't completely sure he believed the recent reports of large scale attacks by them. But he was under orders to mount a search for the group responsible and bring them to justice. At least, that was his unit's job. There were several other military units out here as well. Some of the men had dubbed it 'operation overkill'.

It almost seemed sinister to Roy. He was more suspicious about the whole thing. His orders kept getting more and more aggressive without any real need for them to do so. This was going to turn from a minor border conflict into an actual war at this rate, and they were going to be responsible for starting it. That wasn't what he had signed up to do. Unfortunately, Roy didn't really have any proof that he was right and that military intelligence was wrong about their reports. He was working on that though.

His best friend, Maes Hughes, had somehow ended up being assigned to military intelligence, and he was looking into a few things for Roy. There was this sinking feeling in the pit of Roy's stomach that told him they were a part of something much greater and more evil than they expected. But until they had proof, there was really nothing either of them could save for trying to survive. Of course, that was easier said than done. For all that he was skilled when it came to most military matters, Roy found he hated killing. He had thrown up after the first time. And the second time. Now Roy just knew better than to eat anything before a mission. Or right after one.

He was beginning to hate it out here. It was truly miserable most of the time. Unlike Maes, he had no sweetheart at home writing letters to him to keep his mind off of things. Since he had last seen her, Roy had had one short note from Riza telling him that she had contacted her grandfather and he was helping her find a place for herself. Her lands and estate would remain in the care of her mother. Other than that, he had no word of her. Roy hoped she was happy and doing well.

Roy thought about her a lot. Especially whenever he did anything with his alchemy. Sometimes he wondered if she had really been right to trust him with her father's secrets. He had yet to really use it on a large scale out her, but the first time he had burned a man with his flames, Roy couldn't help but feel he might be betraying her trust. At least he had never killed an innocent with it. To tell the truth, he had only used his alchemy to kill three times. Of course, that was more than he has wanted to. His control was getting better though. Now he could judge how much he needed to burn a person and how severe that burn would be. He had also learned how to do a lot more with fire, everything from creating walls of the stuff to cauterizing wounds.

As much as he hated it out here, Roy knew that it had given him the opportunity and space to fine tune his control of flame alchemy in a way that he wouldn't have had if he'd been working in a city. There was plenty of space out here where he could practice without having to worry about harming any one. His ability to create flames had won him the position of State Alchemist. However, to succeed as one he was going to need practice and experience. Roy sighed and signaled for his unit to begin heading back to camp. They weren't going to find anything here. The patrol had been no more than a waste of their time.

The group began the trudge back through the sand towards the base camp that was set up in some ruins. It wasn't much, but at least it provided them some shelter from the wind. Roy sighed and pulled his coat closer to his body. It was getting close to twilight. The temperature would start to drop soon, and it was a good time of the day for ambushes. He didn't want to be caught unawares. The longer he went without having to fight anyone the better. Roy would be happy if he didn't have to fight anyone again before he went home. He didn't think it was likely, but he could hope.

Being back at camp meant food and attempting get some rest as well as the possibility of new orders. Roy found Maes waiting for him, his face grim. This wasn't good. He didn't speak until both of them were in Roy's tent. Maes kept his voice low.

"There was an altercation a few days ago in Lior. It looks like the Ishbalans started it, but there's really too much chaos and confusion to be sure." Maes bit his lip. "An Amestrian child was killed. Again it looks like by Ishbalans, but in the fray of a fight, it could have been any one."

Roy let out a sigh. He could see where this was going.

"What are the new orders?"

Maes looked even grimmer. "War."


	8. Fire and Faith

**Fire and Faith**

Riza squinted against the sun as she peered through her scope. Noon in the desert made her work more difficult. Not that it mattered. No matter how long she had been at it, Riza couldn't stomach her work. When she had been assigned to the sniper corps, she had no idea what so ever that they were heading into a massacre rather than an actual war. This was not what she had joined the military for. But it was too late to escape, and there was nothing she could do except try and survive.

Right now, she was supposed to be keeping an eye out for a returning patrol that contained a State Alchemist. Riza wasn't sure how she felt about that. She had met several of the State Alchemists, and there hadn't yet been one that she liked. Major Kimbly even went as far as to really scare her. She wasn't sure she wanted to watch their backs. But right now that didn't matter. There wasn't a threat yet.

She could see movement over one of the dunes and trained her sight on it. It looked like the patrol. Riza watched as the group made its way over the crest of the dune. She kept her eyes on the dunes to the right. That was where she would put an ambush if she was planning one. It would make sense if one was planned. Things had been too quiet lately. So she wasn't surprised when the attack came. The patrol was slow in responding, and Riza had already downed one of their attackers by the time they started fighting back. And that was when she got a surprise. As she swung her gun over to take another shot, the scope caught the State Alchemist in its sights.

Riza was frozen as she watched Roy whirl around, hand poised to snap. She saw him hesitate before doing so, and she saw the column of flame that engulfed his enemy. Riza resighted on him, aiming in between his eyes and hesitated. Then she saw his face. Saw the utter pain and misery there, and Riza knew that he hated this even more than she did. That he hated being used like this. So she reaimed and put a bullet in the head of the man who tried to knife him. The rest of his patrol had taken care of any other opponents, and they hastily made their way back to the camp.

For a few moments afterwards, Riza found herself taking some time to compose herself. Roy was here. She had hoped he had avoided this. He was a State Alchemist, and he clearly was being used just like the rest of them out here. This wasn't his dream at all. She took a deep breath. They needed to survive this. She needed him to prove that her father's legacy was more than simply a weapon of destruction. They both needed to prove that. Riza had trusted in both herself and Roy that there was more to flame alchemy than simply death and destruction and the smell of blood and burning flesh. And they needed to be alive to do that which meant surviving Ishbal.

She made her way back to the campsite. She wasn't quite sure how to approach Roy, but he needed to know she was here. As it turned out, she didn't need to worry. Riza had been approaching the center of the camp when Hughes, the military intelligence officer assigned to this camp, called her over. Roy was standing right beside him.

"Hey, thanks for before." Hughes beamed at her. "You were the one who made that shot right?"

Riza flipped back her hood. "Yes."

Roy's intake of breath was sudden, and his eyes held a mixture of horror, anger, and disbelief. It looked like he was in shock, and he really couldn't afford that right now.

"It's been awhile, Mister Mustang. No, I should call you Major Mustang now." She couldn't bring herself to smile, but she hoped he could read some of the warmth she felt in her words. "Do you remember me?"

Roy blinked rapidly. "How could I forget?"

Hughes was looking between the two of them with a frown on his face. He clearly didn't know that they knew each other previously. Roy ran a hand through his hair.

"Maes, this is Riza Hawkeye."

It was Hughes turn to blink. Clearly, Roy had spoken of her. Hughes made himself scarce, and Riza found herself falling in step beside Roy. They walked out towards the edge of camp together, neither speaking. In some ways, they didn't need to. They had always been able to speak to each other in actions and looks. There were words that would need to be said eventually, but those would wait until they both were sure they were in private. This was not something they wanted others overhearing.

It was a brief conversation. They both needed to vent their despair and affirmed that they both believed that something different was possible. After that, they just sat together in the sand, collecting themselves. This wasn't over yet, and they needed to be able to go back to camp and keep functioning. Their secrets had to remain secret for now. If anything was going to change, they needed to survive this war, and they couldn't do that if they were branded as traitors or deserters. Some of what they had just spoken of could do that. So when they went back to camp there was just a State Alchemist and a sniper. Riza and Roy were shut back into their respective compartments until they had a chance to be some thing other than killers. At least now they both knew that there was going to be something else.


	9. Plotting Out the Future

**Plotting Out the Future**

Roy sighed wearily as they packed up their camp. It was finally over. The king was finally satisfied that Ishbal had been defeated, and they were going home. Roy didn't really know how he felt about that. The war might be physically over, but it was going to be with him for a long time. He didn't thing that the nightmares were going to go away anytime soon. In some ways, Roy wasn't sure he wanted them to. As much as he hated remembering what had happened here and what he had done here, those memories gave him even more of a reason to find a way to change things and make sure this never happened again.

Those plans were still in the works. Roy knew that he was going to do it, but the details of the plan were unclear at the moment. He did know one thing though. He was going to have to get involved in court politics. It was something he had never really wanted to do, but if he was going to change the way things worked, short of starting a civil war, that was what he needed to do. Roy couldn't say he was looking forward to it though. Court politics were nasty, vicious, and underhanded. They were probably one of the worst parts of life at court, and being as far from the throne as he was, Roy had never expected to have to take part in them unless he wanted to.

Still, he would need to come up with a strategy as well as a few more allies before he started any intrigues. Roy knew that Maes and Riza would support him, but he would need more than just them. Roy frowned, beginning to draw up a mental list of people who might be of help in his efforts. He would need allies on all fronts. Riza's hands came into view as she reached over to help him finish packing up his tent. Their eyes met for a moment, then both quickly looked away. There were things that they needed to discuss, but that was better left for a safer and more private place. His plans were one of those things. His feelings were another.

Truthfully, Roy couldn't say when he started feeling more than just a general affection for Riza Hawkeye, but he knew that things were serious on his side at this point. Somehow Riza had become one of most important parts of his life. And he didn't think his feelings were going to change just because they were away from the battlefield. This was more than adrenaline and after battle lust. But if he drew her even farther into his plans, he would be putting Riza in danger. Roy wasn't sure he could do that. He wanted her safe. The idea of a world where Riza Hawkeye didn't exist terrified him.

Roy also didn't think that he could convince Riza that she should stay safe and out of his plans. No, she would refuse to let him do this alone. He couldn't blame her for that either. Roy understood that she felt that she needed to do something to help prove that her father's research was more than just something that would case death and destruction. Especially since that research was literally a part of her. Roy frowned at that thought. He and Riza needed to discuss what to do about that research. He didn't know what her feelings on the tattoo, but it did make her vulnerable, and there were people out there who would do almost anything for that information. They needed to figure out something to keep her safe, even if it was just a cover story for what happened to her father's research.

It was selfish of him, but Roy was glad that she would be at his side. Their time in the desert had taught him several things. One of them was that the nightmares were easier to deal with if she was there. There had been a few nights where they had ended up sharing a tent due to either sandstorms or the cold. Those were the nights that Roy got anything resembling rest. Even when he woke up from nightmares, there was something comforting about not being alone.

He and Riza went about the rest of their duties for the clean up before joining the others in loading the equipment into wagons and finishing the preparations to leave. Finally, it was time for them to climb into wagons themselves and head out. Roy was thankful to be sharing his wagon with Hawkeye, Maes, and Havoc. At least he knew he could trust them, and they were better company than many of the other soldiers. Then began the long march home.

Curled in the back of a wagon with Riza at his side. Roy let out a soft sigh. Havoc was driving, and Hughes was making commentary on the driving. Roy let his head drop onto Riza's shoulder, and she ran a hand through his hair.

"Get some rest," her voice was soft. "We have a lot of work to do when we get home."

She was right, but Roy was pretty sure as long as he had her on his side, that they would manage.


	10. Settling In

**Settling In**

Roy settled behind his desk with a sigh. This wasn't exactly what he had in mind when he decided to change things, but he supposed it was a start. He was back at Eastern Headquarters, this time with a team of his own and a new authority. He had been promoted after the war to a full colonel and was given a team to investigate and recruit alchemy and alchemists. He was also now a well known name at court, and that would prove to be useful. With the help of Hughes and Hawkeye, Roy had begun both a plan to get him where he needed to be and had assembled a team for himself.

Hawkeye was there of course. Roy wasn't about to do without her. She too had been promoted, and so First Lieutenant Riza Hawkeye served as his chief of staff and primary body guard. Havoc was there as well. There were also three new additions. Kain Fuery was a young communications expert. Despite his youth, he was quite competent and update with the latest technology as well as the old standards. Hughes had been the one to recommend Vato Falman. The man had been involved in military intelligence for quite awhile, though he had little field experience. Still, he remembered everything he ever saw or heard and had a knack for codes that would come in handy. Heymans Breda was a tactical genius according to his military school. He wasn't exactly what one would call the ideal of a soldier, being slightly overweight and rather fond of food, but his mind more than made up for that in Roy's opinion.

They were all good men, and Roy was looking forward to getting know them a little better. They had some work to do so that they trusted each other as well as him, but there would be plenty of time to get them working together as a team. Hughes was not a part of the unit. In the end, they had decided that Roy was better served by his remaining with intelligence. It gave them a mobile operative and one who wouldn't necessarily be associated with Mustang's own unit. It also gave Hughes a better chance of building them an intelligence network of their own.

There were some good things about being back at Eastern HQ. Roy was pretty familiar with both the city and the staff at HQ. He also knew his CO pretty well, and Grumman liked him. The one thing that had come as a surprise (though it really shouldn't have) was discovering that Grumman was Riza's grandfather. Even more surprising was the fact that the man kept up his attempts to match make with them. In some ways, it was a double dose of matchmaking for Roy. One of the first things Maes had done when they had gotten home was propose to Lady Isley. She had accepted, and the wedding was planned for spring. And Maes could not shut up about how wonderful she was and Roy should find a lady of his own.

Maes was perfectly aware that if Roy ever did settle down, he had only one woman in mind. However, there were a number of issues with that right now. Romantic relationships within units were discouraged, not to mention that by getting involved with Riza he could very well be painting a target on her back. There was also the fact that being an eligible bachelor could be very advantageous for him right now. When it came to politics, marriage was a key tool, and the appearance of being available could garner him both information and allies. There was also the fact that Roy truthfully didn't know what Riza's feelings about him were. Oh, he knew that she cared about him, but he really wasn't sure if it was simply friendship, or like the bond of siblings, or something more on her part.

He wasn't really comfortable trying to find out right now either. Roy knew that personally he was completely in love with the woman. But he didn't want to hurt her nor did he want to ruin the friendship they currently had. Quite simply put, Riza was one of the most important, if not the most important, people in his life. Having her at his side as his friend and supporter was not the best relationship possible to have with her, but if it was all Roy could have, it would be more than enough. With a sigh, Roy reached for a pen. He really should be getting all this paperwork done.

As he began to attack the mountain of paperwork that loomed on his desk, Roy wished life was simpler. Worrying about how to take over the government had not been one of the things he had planned on doing with his life. No, Roy had a much simpler plan to start with. He was going to help take care of the people of his country, he was going to get married, and he was going to have a family. That had been his original plan. Parts of it might happen eventually. But there was a lot more at stake now than just his personal happiness.

"Sir," Riza's voice cut through his thoughts. "Simply staring at the paperwork does not get it accomplished. Those papers are due to the general at five, so unless you want to skip the lunch break, I would suggest you get started."

He made a face. Riza gave him a stern look, and he got to work. At least he no longer had to worry about getting paperwork done. With Riza around, he didn't think he would have a choice.


	11. Routine and Revelations

**Routine and Revelations**

There were things about office work that drove Riza crazy. None of the boys were especially good about getting their paperwork done in a timely manner, and they were easily distracted. They also weren't exactly the most neat of office companions. Often Riza felt very much like a babysitter rather than a military officer. And sadly, there were times that Roy was just as bad. While she knew that part of it was a necessary act on his part (it wouldn't do for their enemies to have reason to keep a closer eye on him because he was so good at his job), sometimes she felt he got a little too in character.

Still, right now Riza would take office work and all its frustrations. It was better than being shot at by quite a bit. She and Roy were currently hunkered down behind a crumbing wall in the ruins of a warehouse. Havoc was pinned down across the room from them, and he wasn't going to be of any help to their predicament right now. Sadly, this was how Riza often spent much of the time the team was out in the field. Most missions weren't quite this bad, but Riza was used being shot at.

Unfortunately, to get them out of this one, she was going to have to take more risks than usual. She didn't quite have a clear line of sight from where she crouched. If she could get that, she should be able to take out the shooter. The question would be how quickly. With any luck she could manage not to get shot herself. Turning to Mustang, Riza fiercely whispered.

"Stay here until I tell you. I'm going to take care of the sniper."

Then Riza straightened to her full height, so she could actually see who was shooting at them. There were three of them. She managed to shoot two of them before they could react. The third got a few shots off at her before she managed to hit him. Riza felt a sharp sting in her arm, but she was too focused on her shooting to really pay attention. With the three of them down, Havoc was free to move and check for any other shooters while Riza turned to get her colonel to safety. She found Roy crouching where she had left him (he had listened to her for once) staring at her with an odd look on his face.

"Sir? We need to get you someplace safe. The area isn't secured."

"You need a doctor, Hawkeye."

She glanced down at her arm and saw her bloody arm. "It's just a graze."

Mustang was surprisingly cooperative about things from there. At least until they got back to Eastern Headquarters. Then he got stubborn on her. The practically frog marched her down to the infirmary to get looked at. He really was overreacting. It was simple graze that didn't even need stitches. However, when the doctor finished with cleaning and bandaging her injury, Roy was still there waiting for her. Riza was beginning to be a little uneasy about this. This was not really like him.

He led her back to their office and waved her into his private office. Then he shut the door behind him and locked it.

"Sir?"

Mustang turned to her his eyes blazing.

"Are you an idiot? Do you know how incredibly lucky you are? That bullet could have just as easily hit your heart as your arm. You could have been dead because of me! I'm not worth that." He was close to screaming now. "Do you think I could live with myself knowing I got the woman I love killed?"

Before she even had a chance to process that remarkable statement, Roy had yanked her into his arms and was kissing her breathless. Riza kissed him back. She didn't know what this was, but she could understand some of the desperation behind his kiss. Didn't he know she would feel the exact same way if he died because she somehow failed to protect him? Roy finally released her lips, but he continued hold her tight against him, burying his face in her hair.

"I can't loose you," his voice was slightly muffled. "I don't think I can do this without you."

Riza squirmed until she was in a position where she could see his eyes. She cupped his face in her hands.

"How do you think I would feel if you were killed because I couldn't keep you safe? I can do job, and that means taking some risks. What we are doing is hardly safe. I can't promise that I'll never get hurt. You need to trust me to be able to do my job. If you're dead, than most likely I am too, and I wouldn't want any other way."

He seemed to be searching her eyes for something. Riza gazed right back, trying to project calm and her feelings at him. As much as his words meant to her, Riza knew this wasn't exactly the best place to be making such declarations. He couldn't afford to have her bed his weakness. Roy seemed to find what he was looking for, and he leaned in again to kiss her a second time. It was a much gentler kiss, sweet and full of promise. Then he drew back with a sigh and rest his forehead against hers.

"I suppose we should save any more discussion of this matter for a more private time and place."

"That would be prudent, sir."

Roy finally moved away from her, and they both took a moment to put themselves back in order. Roy dismissed her with a nod, and Riza turned to go. Still, things had changed once more. They both could feel that.


	12. All in a Day's Work

**All in a Day's Work**

Some things never changed. The boys continued to slack off in the office, Roy kept inching forward towards his goals, and the seasons changed. Roy was making progress. Right now it was slow going, but at least he was getting somewhere. He had become something of a celebrity in regards to his military service. He wasn't thrilled with the title of "Hero of Ishbal", but it was helping him right now, so he would put up with it. He spent the major holidays at court now building support and making alliances there. He had also gained a reputation as something of a flirt, mostly because people were more willing to give you information when you seemed interested in their daughters.

None of those noble ladies held any real interest for him. The only wife Roy planned on having was a blond sniper who just happened to be a baroness as well. But that probably wasn't going to happen anytime soon. Nor had their relationship changed all that much despite their admissions to one another. They had both agreed that it would not be advantageous for those feelings to become public knowledge right now. It would make Riza a far too tempting target for his enemies, and it might also get her reassigned. The military frowned upon relationships between superiors and subordinates, but they didn't often bother to enforce the rules. However, if someone needed a reason to go after Roy, it could be used that way.

That didn't stop Roy from taking advantage of any opportunities he had to show her how he felt. Every once in awhile they were able to spend some time together outside of work. Typically, it was in the company of Maes and his betrothed. It wasn't really much, but it was enough for Roy. Besides, he got to see Riza nearly everyday, and they had become quite adept at speaking to each other in looks and gestures. Riza was a familiar presence at his side most of the time, and Roy had trouble remembering what it was like when she wasn't at his side most of the time. She also was a definite asset when it came to the office work. He doubted that he would have made it as far as he had without her there to make sure that what needed to get done was done, even if that meant threatening him.

Riza and Maes were really his greatest supports in this. Not only did they help him achieve his goals, but they also kept him on an even keel. If he was in this on his own, it would be very easy to get discouraged at times and cocky at others. Both Maes and Riza kept things in perspective for him. They kept him laughing when he needed it, and neither of them had any compunction about deflating his ego. They seemed to know exactly when he needed encouragement as well. Riza especially seemed able to sense when he needed a moment's peace or even just to have human contact for a few minutes.

With a sigh, Roy reached for the next report. There was nothing much going on right now, and since they were getting close to quarterly reports, there was more paperwork than usual to get through. Of course, at least they weren't the winter quarterly reports. Those preceded the Midwinter festivities at court, and Roy was not looking forward to those. Every year the event seemed to get more elaborate and out of hand. All he really wanted was to spend one Midwinter just with his friends and family. That wasn't going to happen anytime soon though. He couldn't afford to miss out on the opportunities for making allies and gathering information that court festivities provided.

His office door opened.

"Have you finished with the requisition forms, sir?"

Roy sighed again. "Yes, Hawkeye. They're in that pile somewhere."

Riza raised an eyebrow at the haphazard pile of paperwork that he had indicated. She scooped it up and carried it over to the coffee table by the couch, and in her normal precise manner, sorted the entire thing in less than two minutes. Gathering up the relevant paperwork, she returned the remaining papers to his desk.

"I'll need the reports on field operations by five o'clock, sir. The evaluations are due tomorrow at eight, but everything else has later due dates."

"Thank you, Hawkeye." Well, there went his plans for slipping out to lunch.

She seemed to know that. "What would you like me to pick up for your lunch? I'm taking my break in twenty minutes."

Roy smiled. "A grilled sandwich of some sort. I don't care what kind. Just make sure there's no mustard on it."

Her lips quirked a little at that. He had always hated mustard, and she knew it. As children, she had taunted him with the fact a time or two. Hawkeye went on about her business, and Roy tried to concentrate on his work. It didn't seem like long before Riza returned with his food. She had also brought him a fresh cup of coffee along with the sandwich. As was typical with days like these, Riza sat down on the couch to eat her own lunch. Afterwards she would go out to get the day's mail, and then she would spend the rest of the afternoon working on her own paperwork and keeping an eye on him to make sure he completed his.

It was a comfortable routine, and one they both were used to. When Riza returned with the mail, however, she wore an odd look on her face. She held out a large, thick envelop marked with the royal seal.

"This came from you. It's from your uncle."

And his uncle just happened to be the king. Curious at what his uncle wanted, Roy quickly broke the wax seal and pulled out the letter. It didn't take long to scan, and Roy was immensely grateful for the fact that he knew how to translate the formal language. What it boiled down to was his uncle wanted to see him about a matter of some importance. It didn't say what the matter was though. He looked up to tell Riza what it said and found her white as a sheet and clutching her own letter so hard that her knuckles were white. She looked somewhere between shocked and upset.

"Riza?"

"My mother died."


	13. The Way the Wind Blows

**The Way the Wind Blows**

Riza had never been close to her mother. The woman had abandoned her as a child, and Riza never really forgotten that. The woman had really more of an acquaintance or a stranger to her. However, the fact that her mother ran the Hawkeye estates and land had allowed Riza to go off and do what she needed to make a life of her own. Riza wasn't sure what the woman's death would mean for her. It did mean that she would have to go to the funeral. Riza had been in a mild state of shock when she'd announced that her mother had died.

It didn't matter though. Roy had pretty much handled everything. He had gently taken the letter from her hands, sat her down on his couch, and had Fuery get her a cup of tea while he made travel arrangements and filled out the paperwork for her emergency leave. Riza couldn't help but be reminded of the way he had taken care of everything for her when her father had died. Roy always seemed to be there when she needed him the most, and he didn't incapable or awkward about needing help and support.

So now she was heading home for the first time since she had joined the military. Riza would also be seeing most of her stepfamily for the first time. She had met her stepfather once, but for the most part Riza's mother and her new family had very little to do with her. The only person who had bothered to keep in touch with Riza was her grandfather. She didn't know what to expect from her mother's family now, and that made her uncomfortable. Maybe it was her military training, but Riza liked to know what the situation she was walking into was before hand. And she didn't like facing things like this without backup. Her grandfather had been in the capitol for a meeting. He would probably be at the funeral, but he hadn't been there when she'd gotten the letter.

She arrived at the manor house late in the evening of her third day of traveling. A servant greeted her and took to a room before informing her that a tray could be brought up if she needed something to eat. Riza simply requested a cup of tea. She was already feeling out of place, and she had yet to even meet her stepfamily yet. Sleep only came due to her exhaustion, and she did not sleep well. When morning came, Riza was awake and dressed before the servant arrived to wake her. Roy had had the forethought to have someone pack her several black outfits to wear. She wasn't sure how strictly the family would observe mourning, but at least she had some options. She took the option of breakfast in her room. Riza knew she wasn't ready to deal with other people until after she had eaten something and steeled herself.

When she finally ventured downstairs, Riza found most of the family already assembled in the parlor. At least, she assumed this was the family. The only people she recognized were her grandfather and her stepfather. Her mother had been an only child, and her grandmother had died shortly after Riza's birth. Her grandfather greeted her warmly and carefully introduced her to the rest of the people gathered. They were not overly welcoming, especially her stepbrothers. Despite the fact that they were younger than she was, Jason and Alexander seemed to find her beneath them. Riza wasn't sure if it was the fact that she was a woman, that she was in the military, or she didn't exactly act or dress like a baroness. Perhaps they just didn't like her. Riza didn't particularly care.

The truth of the matter was very little attention was paid to her. Riza sat quietly as her stepfather went over the funeral plans for the next with everyone. Afterwards she was left to her own devices, and it soon became clear that she wasn't going to get any of the information she needed about her barony until after the funeral. Riza ended up spending most of the afternoon playing chess with her grandfather. It was clear to her that he was not taking his daughter's death well. Riza wished Roy was here. Her grandfather was quite fond of him, and Roy wouldn't have been dealing with his own grief as well.

Somehow Riza managed to get through the funeral, burial, and the reception without losing her mind. It was hard though. There were times when the whole thing felt more like a production than a mourning process. Her stepfamily seemed to be milking the whole incident for everything it was worth. It was one of the reasons Riza preferred to avoid court life. Personally, she would have preferred a small, private funeral and the chance to really grieve instead of constantly being on display. It was almost two days later when Riza finally managed to sit her brothers down and find out about her lands. It had taken a day just to learn that they were currently in charge of her barony and had been for at least two or three years.

The report they gave her was not good, and once they had turned over the records to her, it was easy to see why. Between their management and her mother's of the land, they had stripped it of more than the barest minimum of viability. The people could live off the land, nothing more. There would be no profit to make for years, and Riza knew that she could expect no taxes or income from those who worked the land unless she wanted them to starve. She wouldn't do that to her people. She could live off her military stipend. The only thing this would really affect was her standing among the nobility. She would still have her birth rank, but she would not be able to afford the live the same lifestyle as most nobles.

It was a small sacrifice really, and her position in the court had never been a large factor in Roy's plans. With a sigh, Riza sought her room and its desk. She needed to figure out what needed to get done before she could return to work.


	14. Opportunities Knock

**Opportunities Knock**

Roy did his best not to let his nervousness show in anyway. He had not had a private audience with his uncle in years. He had been nervous then too, but for slightly different reasons. Roy was still in the dark for the reason for this audience, and it was making him very uncomfortable. There was always the chance that his uncle had discovered his plans to seriously change things. That could be very bad for him. With a great deal of effort, Roy pulled himself from his thoughts and turned his attention back to what Bradley was saying.

"So that leaves Selim as heir despite his age. If something happens to me now, it would be a mess. Sadly, your father abdicated his claim to the throne years ago, and that leaves you as heir presumptive right now. Furthermore, I'm making you regent if something happens to me before Selim comes to age."

Roy blinked as he processed that. He was literally next in line for the throne if something happened to Bradley. His cousin Selim was six, and there would be twelve years before he could even think of taking the throne. It was a huge step forward for his plans. He would be a fool to turn this opportunity down. Still, this could also be a trap. A very attractive trap, but a trap none the less.

"Are you sure I'm the best choice for this, Uncle? I mean," Roy smiled self-deprecatingly, "I may have military training, but I know very little about diplomacy or trade or half a dozen other things that most rulers are schooled in."

"That's what advisors are for, my boy." Bradley smiled at him. "You'll do just fine if need be. Besides, you at least I can trust not to throw the boy to the wolves of the court. I can't say that of many of the others I could consider for this position. You needn't worry, Roy. You're life isn't going to change immediately. With any luck, your services won't even be needed. It's simply safer to be prepared for the worst."

"If you are sure about the decision, then I accept." Roy took a deep breath. "It would be an honor."

"Wonderful." Bradley reached for a bell pull. "Then we can get all the paperwork out of the way."

A servant appeared bearing a large stake of papers. Roy found himself reading through them all before signing them and affixing his seal. He made sure to read every detail included. He wasn't going to potentially overlook something that might come back to haunt him if he could help it. He did wish Riza was here. She was very good at dealing with this sort of bureaucratic minutiae. Roy hoped she was doing all right. It wouldn't be easy for her to deal with her mother's death even though she barely had a relationship with the woman. He would have liked to go with her, but that had proved impossible.

Roy was eager to get the paperwork over with, so he could get out of here and contact Maes. They needed to adjust the plans to account for this latest development. Of course, Roy wasn't so eager to leave that he forgot to get copies of the all the documents he had just signed. The paper trail was important and it wouldn't hurt to have both Maes and Riza go over the documents to make sure that he hadn't missed anything. If he could have, Roy would have delayed signing the things, but he knew his uncle well enough to know that if he had hesitated at all he would have lost this opportunity.

And even though it was one hell of an opportunity, Roy was still suspicious. He would be under closer scrutiny from now on. In fact, this could be an elaborate trap. He would have to be very careful. That wasn't even considering the enemies he would make simply by accepting this responsibility. There had to have been other candidates, and some of them might be very upset by the fact that he had been the first choice and that he had accepted. Roy sighed. This was going to make Riza even more concerned about his safety.

Now that, however, could be an upside to this. Not Riza being nervous, but what could change in regards to their relationship due to this new position. He would have to double check what the regulations said about special cases, but he was pretty sure that they qualified now. Things were always a little more flexible when it came to the line of succession. In part, Roy knew the exception to the rules was there since when someone in line for the throne found someone they trusted enough to marry it behooved them to keep that person close. In fact, Roy knew of several historical royal couples who had worked in the same chain of command after they had been married. Of course, that was also dependant on Riza wanting to marry him.

At least he wouldn't have to worry about his choice of Riza being frowned upon. Riza was both high ranked nobility, being a baroness, and her family was one of the few that was in now way linked to the royal family save for loyalty. There would be no worries about marrying to close to the bloodline. Politically, he and Riza were a very good match. There were times when he had wondered if his mother had ulterior motives in sending him to study with Baron Hawkeye. She had mentioned more than once that she expected grandchildren at some point.

But any plans for himself and Riza would need to wait until they had gotten things squared away with how this would affect his larger plan. Roy sighed. Time to find Maes and see if they could get this sorted out.


	15. Changing Pace

**Changing Pace**

With a sigh, Riza let herself into the office. It was early enough that no one else would be there. That was fine by her. Riza typically used these early mornings to put the office in the proper order and prepare herself for the day. Given that she had been gone for a little over a week, there was probably quite a bit of putting in order to do. Organization wasn't always the boys' strong suit, and Roy truthfully was not adept in managing adminstration. Of course, that was one of the reasons he had her as his aide.

It took only a matter of minutes for her to put on a kettle for tea and start her morning routine. Organization was soothing task, and Riza found it comforting in its familiarity. The past week had not been pleasant, and it was good to home, even if home meant lots of paperwork to catch up on. She hoped that Roy's meeting with his uncle went well. There were enough obstacles to his plans without adding any royal complications. Thankfully, it didn't look like they had fallen too far behind in the paperwork while she was gone. It was an easy enough task for her to sort out what paperwork remained and allocate it to the proper staff member's desk.

With that done, Riza went about the last few tasks before everyone started trickling in. By the time Falman arrived, there was coffee ready, and the office once again was nearly immaculate. Breda wasn't far behind Falman, and Fuery and Havoc showed ten minutes after that. Now the only one they were really missing was Mustang. Of course, Riza wasn't expecting him to be on time. He rarely ever was, and when it happen, she tended to take it was an indication that something was wrong. True to form, Roy arrived fifteen minutes late and looking like he just rolled out of bed. Riza doubted the later was true; typically the man got caught up reading something and lost track of time.

What was out of the ordinary was the fact that he called her into his office almost immediately after arriving. Riza followed him into the inner office and was startled when he shut and locked the door behind them. The next thing she knew, Roy had swept her up into a tight hug.

"How are you doing?"

She allowed herself to sink into his embrace and find some comfort. "All right. It was manageable."

Roy made a rude noise at that. "It was miserable you mean. Did you get everything worked out with your barony? Do you need some more time off?"

She shook her head and quietly replied. "No. The arrangements have been made. I'm afraid I'm now among the ranks of the impoverished nobility. They had been draining the land dry, and it was killing my people. I won't have any income from the land for at least ten years, but at least the people who work them will be able to survive."

Roy sighed. "You did what you had to. It was the only thing you could do and still be true to yourself."

Riza had known that, but it was good to hear her own feelings confirmed. Still, the office really wasn't the place to be acting like this. She carefully extracted herself from his arms. Roy sighed again, but moved to lean against his desk.

"So, my guess is you haven't heard my news yet." He ran a hand through his hair. "My uncle made me regent for Selim if anything happens to him."

Her knees felt a little weak. The king had basically put Roy a step away from the throne. Her mind snapped into high gear at the implications of this. However, Roy was still speaking.

"Maes and I talked it over. We're modifying the plans, but not by much. This could simply be an elaborate trap for me, and I'm not about to walk into him. We'll keep made speed slowly and work on building a base of support. I don't want to take more drastic measures than I have to. If I'm forced to I will, but I'd like to avoid that. Especially so soon after this announcement."

Riza nodded. Good, he was thinking this through, not just reacting. This was going to change a number of things for them.

"Will there be any major things we have to deal with now?"

Roy shook his head. "Not for a little while. They're going to transfer me and my team to Central after the official announcement is made, but Uncle assured me that the transfer wouldn't be for at least a month, so we'll have to time to plan the move. There are a few other things I have to look into because of this, but nothing too urgent."

"Good. Once I get the office caught up on paperwork, we can start making plans for the move." She nodded again. "Was there any thing else, sir?"

"Not right now."

She knew they would need to discuss the details of their plans soon, but that would be done some place a little more secure. Riza made her way back to her own desk, her mind busy making lists of what would need to be done. This would change things, and it wouldn't. It would change Roy's status though, and there could be a few complications with that. She sighed. They would deal with that bridge when they got to it. First they needed to get this move to Central taken care of.


	16. Plans and Problems

**Plans and Problems**

There had been a number of unexpected complications that Roy had not expected. He had been popular with women since being declared the "hero of Ishbal". With the announcement of his new position as presumptive regent for the heir apparent, his popularity sky rocketed. And now he had to fend off more women than he had ever wanted to meet. Roy was extremely grateful that Riza kept them out of the office. The gaggle of social climbers that tended to follow him was driving him crazy. But they weren't going to go away unless he got married, and Roy couldn't do that yet.

He had been able to find out that he could marry Riza now. However, Roy was smart enough not to immediately jump into that. For one thing, it wouldn't look good if he did that immediately after receiving his position. Furthermore, it was subject that he needed to discuss with Riza first. If they got married, she would be a target. She was already one now, but his wife might be a bigger target than his aide. Roy wasn't completely sure about that though. Still, Riza would probably shoot him if he presumed to make that sort of decision without consulting her.

Getting settled in his new offices had also taken some time. They had much more space here than they had at the Eastern Headquarters. However, there were some downsides as well. For one, his new CO didn't seem to like him much. The man was a far cry from General Grumman friendliness. His staff also had needed to move to Central, and as not all of them were staying in the barracks, Roy had found himself helping them move. Both Havoc and Fuery would be living in the barracks for now, but Falman, Breda, and Hawkeye all had apartments of their own in the city. Actually, Riza's apartment was quite close to his own, and that had not entirely been coincidence. The reason they both would quote if anyone ever asked about it was that it couldn't hurt to have his primary bodyguard close by. That was true enough, but it wasn't the only reason behind the arrangement either.

So things were both different and the same. Everyone was adjusting to the changes, and Roy was trying to figure out just how much to change his plans. One of the drawbacks that couldn't be avoided was the court. Since he was actually in the capitol now, Roy wasn't going to be able to avoid the majority of court events and appearances like he had been before. It wasn't something that he was looking forward to at all. Especially not now that it seemed like he was on the marriage market. It was not going to be pleasant. With a sigh, Roy leaned his head against his palm.

It was times like these that he just wanted everything to be done with. He wanted a normal life with Riza. Hell, right now he would even settle for a weekend alone with her. Things had been such a whirlwind lately that he was feeling unbalanced and uncertain. Roy knew from experience that the best way to center himself again was to spend some time alone with Riza. She had a way of putting things in perspective for him that was invaluable.

Speak of the devil. Roy smirked as his lieutenant entered the office. She frowned at the stack of papers on his desk. Roy knew they were supposed to have been completed by now. He just hadn't gotten around it quite yet.

"Can I help you, lieutenant?"

"I need those documents sign by a quarter of." She raised an eyebrow at him. "You won't like the consequences if they are not. Also, your uncle has requested your presence for a series of meetings next week. We will be able to rearrange your schedule to accommodate them, but it will be essential for this week's paperwork to be completed by Saturday. Friday would be preferable."

Roy bit back a smirk at that last comment. It was one of their codes for arranging a private meeting. Still, what was his uncle up to now? There really wasn't any reason to bring him into any of the official crown matters right now. Besides, it wasn't like Roy had any power in the court currently. Unless something actually happened to Bradley, all Roy really had was a title and some prestige, and he was a little higher in the pecking order. That was it. This development was a little concerning. It either implied that there was something wrong with his uncle and that he was preparing Roy to take over sooner rather than later, or that his uncle was planning something else. Roy wasn't really sure which. He wasn't even sure he knew which he wanted it to be.

So it was with some trepidation that he went to the first of the meetings. Of course, his weekend with Riza had helped his mood some as well. Roy began to worry when he realized that the people in this meeting included his parents and his aunt as well as a number of his uncle's advisors. Bradley just beamed at him.

"Good, now we're ready to begin. Roy, we want you to get married. In fact, we've come up with a plan."


	17. No Way Out

**No Way Out**

Roy really wanted to set something on fire. Preferably, his uncle. However, that would get him in trouble, and Hawkeye probably wouldn't appreciate it very much. This stupid marriage idea was exactly that: stupid. The idea of marriage notwithstanding, holding three masquerade balls where he would pick his bride on the final night was just trite and cliché. Plus, a ball wasn't exactly the best place to development a long term relationship. That took time. Besides, Roy already had someone he wanted to marry.

Even if he did announce that he was marrying Riza, he would still have to go through with the damn balls. Three nights of dancing, schmoozing, sucking up, boring conversations, and women flirting with him. It was not his idea of a fun way to spend a few evenings. Even though he knew that that some of his friends would be there, Roy also knew that he couldn't spend the entire time hiding from the public. He was going to have to spend some time during the balls being visible.

At least he had a month before the damn things. It would give him some time to make plans and find a couple escape routes for especially annoying people. It never hurt to have a half dozen excuse to use to leave a conversation. Though there might be an upside to all this; he would get to see Riza dressed up. Most of the time when they attended formal events she wore her uniform, her dress uniform if it was especially formal. It was a little childish of him, but Roy wanted to see her in a formal court gown. He was definitely reserving a number of dances for Riza at all of the balls. It was one of the few things he was looking forward to at the balls.

Roy sighed. It was not going to be a fun few nights. Still, he wasn't going to be able to avoid it, so he might as well make the best of it. This stupid scheme of his relatives did mean that he would have to discuss marriage with Riza sooner than he had planned. It made him a little nervous. Roy had hoped that he would have time to really think about how he wanted to ask her. This was probably not going to be romantic or special. He knew that Riza didn't necessarily need that, but he wanted to give her it anyway.

It also meant that he had a lot less time to find the right engagement ring. He would have to see if he could get Maes to help him. If they planned the shopping trip for Riza's day off, they could probably keep it a secret from her. That was going to be the hard part. Riza had the tendency to be able to figure out just about any thing he was up to. Of course, part of that had to do with the fact that Roy found it almost impossible to lie to her. It also didn't help that he didn't really know what he was looking for when it came to an engagement ring for Riza. Hopefully, Maes would be able to help him out there. And he would also need to figure out costumes for the three nights of the masquerade balls as well.

As it turned out, it was easier than expected to get way for the shopping trip. Maes had told Gracia what was going on, and she had offered to take care of the costumes for the balls. That just left them to find the ring. And Maes seemed to have a plan about that. He dragged Roy into a little jewelry shop. With a smile, Maes pushed him towards the counter.

"Ziva, I've got a friend who could use some of your help."

A dark haired woman appeared from the back room. "Oh?"

"Roy, this is Ziva. She's one of the best jewelry designers in Central. Her husband makes most of the jewelry here from her designs. Ziva, this is Roy Mustang."

Ziva smiled at him. "So what can I do for you, Mr. Mustang?"

Roy gulped. "I need an engagement ring."

Her smiled widened. "Tell me about the lady in question."

"Riza? What do you want to know? I've known her most of my life."

"Well, let's start at the beginning then."

Roy found himself spending the next hour and a half talking about Riza. Ziva kept asking more and more questions, and Roy found himself remembering details he had long forgotten. When Ziva was finally satisfied and let him stop talking, she handed him a sheet of paper with a ring scrawled on it. The slim band held a cushion cut diamond flanked by two smaller teardrop shaped stones.

"Given what you've told me I think yellow gold will be best for the band, and we'll use rubies for the accent stones." Ziva tapped the sketch. "That seemed to fit the both of you. What do you think?"

"It's perfect. When can you have it ready by?"

Ziva pursed her lips. "Two weeks at the soonest."

He let out a sigh of relief. It would be ready in time for the balls then. Thank goodness. Then he sighed.

"So how much is this going to cost me?"


	18. Preparations and Concerns

**Preparations and Concerns**

Riza was not especially happy about the upcoming balls. Besides the security headaches a masquerade caused, she had to find costumes for herself. She also was uncomfortable with the purpose of these balls. Riza was quite aware of the fact that there were a number of women who would be considered a good match for Roy at the three balls, and she also knew that he was going to be facing pressure to pick one. There was also the fact that she was not exactly qualified to be a good match herself anymore. While she did have rank and background, Riza no longer had wealth, and there were times in the world of politics when you needed all three.

She was afraid that Roy might be faced to marry someone other than her. If that made him happy, Riza would deal with it. But she rather doubted it would make Roy happy. He didn't seem any happier about these balls than she did. And they also created much more paperwork for Riza to deal with. Thankfully, Hughes' wife, Gracia, offered to take care of Riza's costumes for her. That was one less thing for her to worry about getting done. There was enough on her plate as it was. As she was Roy's aide, she was the one who those organizing the balls kept consulting her about various arrangements. Unfortunately, telling them that canceling the balls was not considered appropriate.

So her days were spent dealing the regular work of managing Roy Mustang and his office as well as fielding inquiries from those planning the masquerades. And she couldn't help but notice that Roy was acting a little odd lately. The pressure of the balls couldn't explain all of it. In fact, he was acting almost giddy at times. Riza had discreetly checked with Maes, but he had assured her that everything was just fine. Riza wasn't sure she believed him, but there was really nothing else she could do right now.

Her other headache came from the sudden influx of women to Roy's office. The purpose of the balls was widely known, and many women wanted to get a head start on seducing him. It could be rather difficult to keep them out of the office at the large which explained why Roy left the inner sanctum of his own office. And it was clear that none of the women liked her. They liked her even less when she started throwing them out of the office when they disrupted the actual work going on. It wasn't long before Riza started hearing the nasty gossip about herself.

Of course, there wasn't too much they could say about her. Probably the most damning thing in the eyes of the nobility was the fact that she was poor. Oh there were comments about her choice to join the military, but really, there wasn't much in the way of gossip fodder when it came to her life. Still, at times it hurt, and it made Riza more certain that Roy couldn't afford to have a permanent relationship with her right now. It wasn't a new belief, but she had always held some hope.

It wasn't something Riza really wanted to think about, so she kept herself busy with the rest of the preparations. She even started to consider not attending the balls. She didn't really need to be there. Havoc and the others could take care of the colonel's personal security at the balls, and the overall security should be fine. There was nothing in particular her presence would add. Besides, truth be told, she didn't want to spend three nights watching other women flirt with Mustang. It would be better spend the evenings curled up in her apartment with a book. She could use a few evenings off anyway.

Riza had almost convinced herself it wasn't a big deal. She made sure everything else was taken care of for all the office work and all of the preparations Roy needed for the ball were dealt with. Roy didn't seem to notice her withdrawing from the events, but then he was still acting slightly odd, and he was always disappearing off with Maes someplace. Riza didn't worry about that too much. Maes would keep him out of too much trouble. It wasn't until the day before the first ball that Roy figured out she wasn't planning on going.

He cornered her as she was dropping off his costume for the first ball.

"You're not coming tomorrow night?"

She shook her head. "No. You don't really need me there, and I didn't need the hassle of getting ready for three formal balls."

A frown marred his face. "I was hoping to have you there. Then I'd have someone to share my misery with. It's no fun mocking the other guests when you're on your own."

She smiled gently at him. "You'll be just fine. Besides, both Maes and Gracia will be there."

"But it's not the same," he whined. "What if I promise you a months worth of paperwork without complaint?"

Riza's lips twitched. It was a tempting offer, but she wasn't going to give in on this. "I'm sorry, sir, but no. Besides, I don't have anything to wear."

He let the subject drop. It was something that should have worried her in hindsight. The evening of the first ball came around though, and Riza enjoyed a quiet evening to herself. She had just gotten out of a nice long bath when there was a knock at her door. Riza opened the door only to be bowled over by Gracia Hughes. The older woman beamed at her.

"Don't just stand there. We don't have a lot of time to get you ready."


	19. A Little Help From Some Friends

**A Little Help From Some Friends**

Riza blinked as Gracia bustled around her apartment. She wasn't quite sure what the other woman was doing here. Gracia was already dressed for the ball in a gown that mimic the bark of an aspen tree and her hair crowned with a wreath of leaves. She was going as a dryad, a tree spirit.

"I've got you're costume right here, and it shouldn't take long to change into. This is the simplest of them. You're going as a Xing lady."

"Costume? Gracia, I wasn't planning on going to the balls."

Gracia gave her a stern look. "Because you listen to the grapevine a little too closely and think too much. Besides, do have any idea how whiny Roy will be without you there? No more excuses, Riza. You're going."

And before Riza knew it, she had been swathed in layers of silk. She had to admit that the costume was beautiful. The top layer of the kimono was a soft mossy green and the embroidery depicted a plum tree in full bloom. Gracia had pulled her hair up into a bun secured by a number of hair ornaments shaped as plum blossom. They had foregone the traditional white face make up as Riza would be wearing as mask, but Gracia had highlighted her eyes and her lips with make up. Once Riza slipped on the sandals that went with the outfit, she was ready to go.

Gracia beamed. "You look beautiful. Let's go. I have a coach waiting outside for us."

Riza just shook her head. Clearly both Gracia and Maes had been involved with this scheming. The two of them could be extremely dangerous together; they were a perfect match as a couple though, and Riza was grateful that they were on Roy's side. Even if they had taken it upon themselves to interfere in her personal life. Once the two women had gotten into the coach, it wasn't a terribly long trip to the location of the first ball. Gracia and Riza made their entrance together before splitting up. Gracia went off to find her husband while Riza decided to do a little surveillance of the area.

While she knew that there were people here taking care of security, it never hurt to know where a threat could come from. Besides, Riza knew how to be invisible while she circulated a room, and one never knew what one could overhear. Tonight, however, most of the talk was about Roy and which of the women would hook him. By the time she had actually found her colonel, Riza had overheard at least a dozen different plans to ensnare Roy as well as several repeats of the same plan. None of them had much chance of working. But it did explain why Roy appeared to be hiding behind some curtains in an alcove.

"So, hiding from your adoring public?"

Roy actually jumped. He turned to face her. "I thought you weren't coming."

"I wasn't given a choice." Riza gestured to his costume. "And given that my costume matches yours, I'll give you two guesses who's responsible."

Roy laughed and ran a hand through his hair. He too was dressed as a Xing courtier. "Maes can never keep from meddling, can he?"

They stood in silence for a few moments, just watching the dancers out on the floor. Riza sighed. As much as both she and Roy would prefer to stay here, she knew that he did need to be seen tonight.

"You really should get back out there, sir."

It was Roy's turn to sigh. "I know. Come dance with me? You can protect me from the horde. Just for a few dances."

She knew it was probably the only way he was going to agree to go back out there. "Two dances. That's it."

Their appearance on the dance floor caused whispers. Roy started to chuckle.

"They can't figure out who you are," he whispered, pulling her closer than the dance strictly required. "They're speculating wildly at this point, but none of it has come close."

Somehow two dances turned into three and then four. She was saved from dance five when Maes and Gracia cut in on them. Riza finished her dance with Maes and then retired to the sidelines to find something to drink and rest her feet. The sandals she was wearing were not designed with dancing in mind. Catching sight of Havoc near the refreshments she made her way over to him. Riza was hindered in this attempt by a number of people accosting her and trying to figure out just who she was. She was not very helpful to their attempts.

Finally reaching her co-worker, Riza smiled. "Any trouble so far?"

Havoc blinked. "Is that you, Hawkeye? No trouble so far unless you count the guest of honor's frequent disappearing act."

"You know how the colonel feels about being chased."

"Yeah. Speaking of which, you might want to go rescue him. He's beginning to look a little desperate over there." There was laughter in Havoc's voice.

Riza glanced over to the dance floor. Roy wasn't dancing anymore, but he had acquired a gaggle of noblewomen surrounding him. He looked like he was wishing he had his gloves on so he could set something on fire. What Riza wasn't sure that she wanted to know. With a sigh, she decided to interfere before he made a scene. From the look in Mustang's eyes, she wouldn't be surprised if he decided to cause an emergency so he could escape. Not being able to come up with another plan, Riza simply waded into the knot of simpering noblewomen and grabbed Mustang's hand.

"Dance with me."

He smiled. "Always."


	20. After the Ball Is Over

**After the Ball Is Over**

Riza slipped away once the ball had degenerated into drunken reveling. The boys could take care of Roy, and she needed to get some sleep before she went into the office the next morning. It was easy enough to hail a cab and get home. Riza carefully hung her costume in her closet, her accessories finding a space on her dresser. Riza washed her face to get rid of the make up then headed to bed. She was tired enough that she didn't have to wait long before finding sleep.

The next morning she was at the office at her normal hour. The second ball would not be taking place for another two days, giving her time to recover. Her feet still hurt, and Riza would admit to being more tired than usual. Thankfully, this morning there was very little to do to prepare for the day, and Riza was able to retire to her desk with a cup of tea a full twenty minutes before anyone else arrived. By the time her coworkers started straggling in, Riza was feeling ready to face the day.

Her coworkers were in much worse shape than she was. Both Havoc and Breda had clear hangovers, and Falman wasn't looking too much better. Fuery was fine thankfully. When Roy did show up, he did not have a hangover. He was, however, an hour later. Riza let it slide this time. There were extenuating circumstances this time, and he had brought pastries from a bakery for everyone. The colonel did not seem inclined to chat this morning and surprisingly got to work with very little prodding from her.

It was a fairly quiet day all in all. Of course, that probably had more to do with the hangovers than anything else. Riza was a little concerned about Mustang though. He had been holed up on his office most of the day, and he was actually being fairly productive. Unfortunately, Riza couldn't figure out what might be wrong unless something had happened after she had left last night. Though it could just be the stress of being expected to choose a wife without really much of a chance to get to know a person. He had seemed to be dealing with it earlier, but it all just be hitting him now.

With a sigh, she made her way into his office with a cup of coffee. If there was a problem, she was better off knowing about it sooner rather than later. Setting the coffee down on his desk, Riza gave him a stern look.

"Do you want to tell me what's got you in this funk?"

Roy looked nervous and glanced away. "It's nothing."

"I rather doubt that."

He sighed. "It really is nothing, Hawkeye. I just didn't have a chance to do something yesterday, and I'm trying to figure out the best time to reschedule it."

Mustang didn't specify what it was, but the excuse sounded genuine. She shook her head.

"If you say so."

He reached over and touched her hand. "Honestly, I'm fine."

Before she had a chance to try and explore that further, there was a knock on the door, and Hughes popped his head into the office.

"Is Roy free? I've got some information I want to go over with him?"

Riza nodded and headed for the door. "He's all yours. Just remember that he does need to complete all the paperwork on his desk by the end of the day."

"This shouldn't take too long."

She left them at it. Hughes' spy network probably had picked something up. If was important, they would let her in on it later. In the meantime, there was work to get done. There was always paperwork to get done, and getting ahead of schedule on it was never a bad thing. By lunchtime, Hughes had left, and Riza was up to her elbows in requisition forms for the next quarter. They always took forever to get done, and she wanted to get a jumpstart on them this time. Maybe then she wouldn't have to work late every night of the week before they were due. Of course, knowing the guys as she did, Riza had no doubt that something would come up.

Mustang wandered out of his office and announced that he was off to get lunch and would anyone like him to bring something back for them. Riza took him up on the offer, but she was the only one. The boys claimed they were going down to the mess hall in a little while. They departed shortly after Mustang left, leaving Riza with the entire office to herself. The peace and quiet was rather nice, and she enjoyed not having to keep everyone else on task. Riza stretched slightly, rising from her chair. She made her way over to the filing cabinet and set to getting as much of the filing done as she could. It was one of the few tasks that she found the boys screwed up every time she gave it to them. Honestly, the filing system wasn't that complex.

Riza quickly fell into the soothing rhythm of filing, and she didn't notice she was no longer alone until a kiss was pressed to the nap of her neck. Roy's hands on her hips kept her from startling.

"I brought you a cup of soup and some of that sourdough bread you like." Roy nuzzled her neck, kissing the hollow beneath her ear. "I also got you a brownie."

She reluctantly pushed him away. The office was not the place for this sort of behavior, no matter how nice it was.

"Thank you."

Roy let her go, watching her with an odd expression on his face. Riza had just seated herself, ready to eat her lunch, when he spoke.

"Save me the last dance at the next ball, all right?"


	21. I Could Have Danced All Night

**I Could Have Danced All Night**

Roy was beginning be sick of these events. This was a bad thing since the second one had barely started and there was still one more after this. He knew part of his bad mood stemmed from his irritation with himself. He hadn't been able to find the right time or opportunity to ask Riza to marry him yet. And he hadn't had the ring with him at the first ball since she had said she wasn't coming to it. He did have it with him tonight, though he hadn't seen Riza yet.

Tonight he was dressed as a pirate. He didn't know what Riza's costume was, but given that the same people responsible for both of their costumes, it would probably be something that complimented his. He kept an eye out for her as he circulated around the room. Roy tried to be on the move at all times. If he stopped some place, he was likely to get mobbed by women. He wasn't sure why they thought fawning over him was going to earn them special consideration over each other. There had yet to be one of these women who had attempted to hold a real conversation with him.

If he tried to talk with people who didn't want to marry him, most of them kept asking if he had made a decision or if he had anyone in mind yet. It made him want to tear out his hair at times. Roy supposed that he could say that he did have someone in mind, but once he admitted that, no one would let him rest until they knew who he was considering. He wouldn't do that to Riza. She was going to hear about his proposal from him and from him alone. He didn't need the grapevine mucking things up for him.

Roy meandered his way over to the refreshments and helped himself to a cup of punch and some of the finger food. At least there was plenty of food at these things. He wasn't going to starve, just die of boredom. A gypsy lady reached around her to snatch one of the mandarin oranges, and it wasn't until she flashed him a smile that he realized who she was.

"Riza?"

"Yes?" She deftly unpeeled her orange.

He shook his head. "I almost didn't recognize you. How did you get your hair to do that?"

She laughed and reached one hand up to touch the tangle of curls that tumbled from beneath the cloth headband she wore. "Several hours and Gracia's help. It isn't something I would have normally tried, but Gracia insisted."

He reached out to tug on one of her curls. "It's pretty."

Roy almost kicked himself as soon as the words were out of his mouth. It was hardly the best compliment he could have given. Riza didn't seem to notice or mind though.

"It's more trouble than it's worth if you ask me."

Spotting several women moving to intercept him, Roy reached out for her, wrapping an arm around her waist.

"Come dance a set with me?"

Riza had clearly spotted the women as well. "All right."

They made their way out onto the dance floor. The musicians were currently playing country dances, something he and Riza had done since childhood. It was easy enough for the two of them to fall into familiar patterns. Gracia and Maes joined them; this time the couple was dressed as a highland couple. When the set was finished, the four of them managed to slip out onto one of the balconies for a break. It was nice to be able to chat and laugh with friends. There hadn't been much chance for him to simply relax and enjoy himself at these events.

Once they had gone back inside, Roy found himself pulled into a conversation with General Grumman and several other generals. Riza excused herself to go find the bathroom. Roy got caught up in the discussion, and it wasn't until much later that he realized Riza had not reappeared. He scanned the room for her but didn't spot her anywhere. Her absence worried him more than a little. Riza did not have the tendency to disappear on him with no word.

Unfortunately, Roy didn't have a chance to go and look for her. His uncle had found him and was sticking with him like glue as well as making it a point to introduce Roy to noblewoman after noblewoman. He would just have to trust that she was all right. If something was wrong, he would expect that there would be a little more noise about it. Roy spent the rest of the evening keeping one eye out for Riza and trying to get away from his uncle. It was frustrating on a number of levels, but especially since it was interfering with Roy's plans to propose. He was running out of time for that.

It was past midnight when Roy finally managed to get away from his uncle, and he was rather exhausted. He also hadn't seen any sign of Riza at all. Given the hour now, she had probably already gone home. He didn't blame her. Home and bed sounded good to him right now, even if they would better if Riza was with him. Still, he was running out of time. He only had another three days before he had to announce his choice of bride at the end of the last ball. That gave him three day to find the right moment to propose.


	22. A Grain of Truth

**A Grain of Truth**

Riza sat in her bed, her covers pulled around her and her knees drawn up to her chest. She was trying to do some soul searching and make some logical sense of things. It figured her family would find a way to ruin a perfectly nice evening. She had run into her half-brothers on her way back to Roy, and they had quite a few things to say to her. What Riza was trying to do now was figure out how much truth there had been in their words and how much that truth really affected things. To put it mildly, they did not see her as a fit companion for Roy in any respect. They also had in their heads that she was trying to seduce her way into the position of Roy's wife.

Most of what they had said had been way off target, but there had been some truth in it. There were reasons that she and Roy had always kept their feelings for one another quiet, and Riza was currently evaluating what she would have to change. Roy would be getting married, and things would have to change. It was something Riza had been avoiding thinking about for quite awhile now. They could not keep having a secret relationship once Roy was married. Neither of them would be comfortable with that. Which meant that Riza would need to start easing herself out of Roy's personal life.

The problem was she would still be working with him, and he would still need her in a number of capacities. Riza would not abandon him. She loved him too much to do that. However, it would hurt to be cut out of part of his life. Roy wouldn't want to hurt her, but there was no choice. She would be no man's mistress. And Roy would never ask her to be; he respected her too much. Riza wished things could be different. But with his goals, Roy really couldn't afford to rock the boat by refusing to get married. And Riza doubted she was on whatever list of acceptable candidates there was.

She had known that any relationship between the two of them would be difficult, but it had been easier when Roy wasn't bound to someone else. Riza shook her head, trying to steer her thoughts away from more negative paths. It wasn't going to help her. The final ball was in two days, and she was going to enjoy the time she had left with Roy. When things needed to change, they would change, but she couldn't let that ruin what she had right now. There would be time to deal with that later, and she would have to have faith that she could figure out how to deal with it.

With that decision made, Riza tried to get some sleep. The next few days were going to be busy. When she woke in the morning, there was still a bit of melancholy, but she was ready to get to work. She had been right about things being busy. Riza spent the next two days running interference for Roy. As he had not made a choice yet, it seemed like everyone wanted a piece of his time. He had actually volunteered to do paperwork if she would keep at least all of the women out of the office. It kept her too busy to think much which Riza appreciated, but it also kept her from spending that much time actually with Roy.

Riza had barely made in her apartment door the night of the final ball when Gracia arrived. The woman shooed her off to shower.

"It will take some time to get you into the costume tonight, and I'd prefer not to be late."

When Riza returned to find the crimson silk creation that she would be wearing laid out, she understood.

"What am I supposed to be this time?"

"A fire elemental. Let's get started."

The underthings and a pair of red leather sandals that laced up to her knees went on first. Then Gracia helped her into the dress. As Gracia laced the dress closed, Riza made a discovery.

"Gracia, I can't wear this. It's backless." The other woman knew about her tattoo.

"Don't worry. When I'm done with you, no one will be able to tell that it's a tattoo or permanent."

This comment became clear as Gracia began applying henna to Riza's bare arms. When she was done, Riza bore images of flames and other symbols associated with fire on most of her skin. People would simply assume that her tattoo was more of the same. Gracia pulled her hair into a sleek knot held in place with a pair of hairsticks then pinned a circlet of gold and garnets to her hair. Finally, Riza tied on her mask and looked in the mirror. She could believe that the reflection that stared back was a creature of fire. The crimson dress was set off by gold jewelry and beading that winked under light, and with the henna tattoos she looked quite otherworldly.

"Come on, Riza. We're already late."

Riza wasn't quite sure why Gracia was so concerned about being late tonight, but she quickly grabbed her evening bag and headed out the door.


	23. The Right Moment At Last

**The Right Moment At Last**

Roy scanned the room, eagerly watching for any sign of Riza. He was not letting her get away from him tonight. They had number of things that needed to be discussed tonight. Roy was not going to miss another chance to ask her. He couldn't afford to. Of course, his life would be made easier right now if he knew what costume Riza was wearing. Maes had not been very forthcoming about that, but Roy was sure he knew. After all, Gracia had been in charge of all of their costumes.

He nervously plucked at the sleeve of his own costume. He thought he looked a little silly, but Gracia had insisted the costume suited him quite well. Tonight's costume was supposed to portray Prince Ivan from the legend of the firebird. Movement at the ballroom's grand entrance caught his attention. Standing at the top of the stairs was a woman clad all in crimson. Her gown pillowed around her, the gold accents catch the light and making her look like she was on fire. Roy didn't need to be told that this was Riza. Everything from the way she stood to the costume itself told him it was her.

Roy found himself making for her, not caring that he was attracting attention. When Riza reached the bottom of the steps, he was there waiting to take her hand. She shot him a startled look, but Roy didn't care right now. He hesitated a moment when he realized that nearly everyone in the room was watching them, but it didn't deter him. Roy led Riza towards the dance floor.

"What are you doing?" She whispered.

He shrugged slightly; he was making this up as he went. "You look beautiful."

She gave him a half smile. "That doesn't answer my question."

Roy pulled her a little closer and didn't answer. They continued to dance together until Riza complained of being tired. It was more difficult than Roy liked to collect some refreshments and find a spot of privacy to talk with her, but they did manage it in the end. They had to retreat outside to the balcony, but at least it was private. Roy sat Riza down on one of the stone benches and struggled to figure out how to start. Riza's eyes met his, holding him in her steady gaze.

"What are you up to, Roy Mustang?"

He reached into his pocket. "I've been trying to figure out how to do this for the past week or so. I'm still not quite sure. I just know I need you with me no matter what happens."

Taking her hand in his own, Roy gently put the ring in it. Riza looked down at the ring and then back up at his face.

"Marry me, Riza, please?"

Her hand closed around the ring. It seemed to be trembling. "Are you sure?"

"There is anyone else I want to spend my life with besides you. It might cause a few hiccups here and there, but I don't think I can do this without you. I--"

Her fingers on his lips cut him off, and Riza held up her left hand for him to see the ring on her finger. It looked perfect there, and Roy noticed with a start that it matched the rest of her costume. That was probably what Gracia had in mind in the first place.

"Yes." She smiled at him.

"Yes?" He couldn't quite believe it.

Riza nodded, and Roy found himself sweeping her up into his arms and twirling her around with a laugh. He set her back on her feet, so he could kiss her properly. Riza slid her fingers into his hair and kissed him back. When they finally broke the kiss, Roy rest his forehead against hers, content to just be there with her. Finally one of these stupid balls had gone his way.


	24. Not Quite Smooth Sailing

**Not Quite Smooth Sailing**

They had to go back to the ball eventually. As much as Riza would prefer to stay outside with Roy, she knew that sooner or later they were going to have to go back. She was happy enough that she didn't really mind too much. The weight of the engagement ring on her finger was a small thing really, but it somehow made everything much clearer. It was a decision she hadn't expected from Roy, and one that was also rather obvious. She couldn't think now why she hadn't come up with it earlier. That would have been much better than spending her time worrying about what would happen to their relationship when Roy married someone else.

When they did go back inside, Roy refused to let her leave his side. Of course, given the way some of the women in the room were eying her, Riza didn't mind having someone to put between herself and them. It seemed that a number of people had deduced Roy's choice of bride from his reaction to her entrance. Quite a few people approached the pair offering veiled congratulations and trying to figure out just who Riza was. It still baffled her that so many people couldn't figure out who she was. She might not be that well known by the court, but really, how many blonds were there that spent as much time as she did around Mustang?

Everyone would find out soon enough. Roy was supposed to make the announcement of his bride at midnight when everyone would unmask. It was going to cause quite a stir was her guess. Riza was a member of the nobility, but she clearly hadn't been considered as one of those in the running for Roy's wife, and she rather doubted that Roy had discussed his choice with anyone other than Maes and Gracia. Hopefully once everyone gets over their surprise, things would go smoothly from there. Not that it truly mattered as long as come what may she was at Roy's side. At least the people involved in the office betting pool about them would be happy. Riza's known about it since it was started even if she doesn't know who had what dates. But somebody had probably won a lot of money tonight.

Roy kept the two of them out on the dance floor for most of the evening. It was one of the few places where the two of them weren't being bombarded with congratulations and questions. Unfortunately, they couldn't dance forever. As midnight approached, Riza prepared herself for the announcement. There were going to be a number of disappointed women, and Riza was rather comforted by the fact that she was armed. She didn't really think anyone was going to try anything other than talk Roy into a different choice, but her guns were a comforting weight that reminded her if something happened she could take of it.

Roy squeezed her hand. "So I figure we make the announcement tonight, and then hide for the next few days to escape the hue and cry before figuring out how to elope. I just realized that the same people who planned the balls will probably want to plan our wedding."

She bit back a smirk. He had only just realized that he had to go through a formal wedding ceremony that if certain people had their way would probably resemble an overblown romantic theatrical production. It was something she had realized once the balls had been announced. For all that Roy was not fond of the formality and pageantry that came with rank, there were some things he couldn't avoid. Of course, if the two of them actually got involved with the wedding plans, they would be able to keep that at a minimum. As much as Riza would have liked to elope, she doubted it was an option they really had. Especially given that their wedding ceremony might give Roy a chance to appeal to the public of the country. Everyone loved a wedding.

A few minutes before midnight the two of them made their way to the platform in front of the band to make the announcement. One minute before midnight everyone in the room prepared for the unmasking and announcement. As the clock struck midnight, all hell broke lose.


	25. Party Crashers

**Party Crashers**

Roy hadn't exactly expected his announcement to be met with tears of joy, but he hadn't expected this. He had barely finished making his announcement when the gossip began. And barely moments after that, some idiot had the bright idea to attack them. Well, perhaps that was an overstatement. The ball was under attack by a small group of individuals. However, what they were after wasn't at all clear. At least they weren't randomly killing people. Of course, not knowing what the real target was did make it a little harder to figure out a good defensive plan.

Riza shifted beside him slightly, moving so she could see what was in his blind spot. Her gun had been in her hands within seconds of the attack. Roy concentrated on the fight in front of him, knowing that she had his back. The attackers were going after anyone who was obviously military and after the royal family. He would have to take time and try to unravel what exactly this was all about later. Right now they just needed to get out of this alive. The presence of the party guests was a definite problem. While their attackers weren't going after them, they also didn't seem to care if the guests got hurt in the process. Roy did. He didn't want any civilian casualties if he could help it.

But not knowing what these people wanted made it a little harder to protect the civilians. Still, Havoc, Ross, and Brosh had managed to draw a small knot of the attackers outside onto the veranda, so that was one part of the fight that was safely out of the way. Roy caught sight of Maes a few feet away, guarding Gracia's back as she worked to get people out of the room. It was a good idea, and they weren't the only ones doing it either. And the attackers didn't seem that interested in keeping the guests from escaping either. Roy ducked as a knife was thrown in his direction. The main drawback to fighting here was he had to be extremely careful about how he used his alchemy. There were too many variables around, and it would be all too easy for an unintentional fire to start.

There were things he could do though, and Roy was not about to let a few limitations keep him from doing his part to getting this mess dealt with. Though he probably should have expected that things couldn't be easy. Heaven forbid that he and Riza get engaged without any complications. No that would be too easy. A hand signal across the room caught his eye. Hawkeye drawing closer to him tipped him off to the fact that she had seen it too.

"What do you think?"

"It would be easier if we could get them all in the same general area. The question is will they follow us if we move?"

"Let's find out."

On his unspoken signal, they both dashed across the room towards the other large knot of fighting. Their opponents took the bait and followed them. As the other big knot of fighting mostly consisted of military personnel, that made life much easier. It still took them another twenty minutes to get everything wrapped up though. By the time the fight had actually ended, most of the ballroom was empty. There had been some injuries, but no casualties among his people as far as Roy could tell.

He wrapped an arm around Hawkeye's waist, drawing her closer. "So, what did you think of our engagement party?"

She quirked an eyebrow at him in a way that said she was not amused. "Maybe we should find out who crashed the party and why. I doubt they crashed the party just because I agreed to marry you."

"Unfortunately," General Grumman's voice reached their ears, "we do know who their target was."

Roy turned to face the older man, noting his grim expression. Riza's grandfather sighed and motioned them closer.

"I'll show you. Only a handful of people know right now. We'll have to figure out how to handle this."

His eyebrows climbed as Roy followed the man. This sounded serious. Who had died? Someone's death was the only reason he could think of for this level of concern. The general led them back around a table and then stepped back to let the two of them survey the sight. Roy felt his jaw drop. His uncle was dead. The king was dead.


	26. New Beginnings

**New Beginnings**

King Bradley was dead. Roy was still having trouble wrapping his head around that. At least he did when he had time to think about it. Given that Roy was in charge of running a country now, he didn't exactly have much free time any more. Thank goodness for Hawkeye. If it weren't for her, Roy was pretty sure he would be even more confused than he was right now. There had been some complaints about the future Princess Regent acting as an administrative assistant for the Prince Regent. Riza had quelled them by simply asking if they knew how to make Roy Mustang do paperwork.

They hadn't had a chance to get married yet. There was too much to do that was too pressing. Bradley's funeral had to planned and orchestrated as well as Roy starting to make changes and putting people he trusted in some key positions. He had put Maes in charge of ferreting out who absolutely needed to be replaced and who could be left in their positions for now. There really hadn't been time to even think about a wedding let alone start planning one. Thankfully, they wouldn't have to worry too much about those wedding plans. Gracia had offered to take care of the actual wedding planning and would only make them deal with the essential decisions. She had a legion of people assisting her, and Roy knew the wedding was in good hands.

He had other things to worry about. Selim was one of them. His cousin was certainly an odd child, and Roy would admit to being incredibly uncertain about the heir apparent. There were times when he actually wondered if the boy was human or not. There was certainly enough to make Roy wonder if he really needed to encourage the rest of the family to marry people who clearly weren't at all related to them. Selim could of course simply be the product of too much inbreeding. Or there could be something more sinister going on. The problem was Roy couldn't be the one to find out what was really going on and take action on it. It would look too much like he was trying to take over.

There was also the fact that Roy was going to have to come up with some way to improve diplomatic relations with Amestris' bordering countries. The war with Ishbal had not made them popular, and Roy honestly couldn't blame other countries for having worries that they might be next. For all he knew, Bradley might have had something like that planned, but he still needed to fix things. He had promised himself that he would make things better if he ever reached the top, and he was going to do that. Roy just wasn't sure how yet.

It was all a little crazy right now. Riza kept him sane and on track though. He was so glad that she was here at his side. He didn't know how he would manage without her. It wasn't easy, but then they had never expected it to be. What they hoped to accomplish for Amestris was too important for it to be easy. Still, Roy was glad he wasn't attempting this one his own. That would have been a sure recipe for disaster.

A gentle hand squeezed his shoulder. "You really should be working on those reports, sir."

"Why are you still calling me 'sir'? We are engaged after all," Roy couldn't help whining a little.

Riza gave him a stern look. "Maybe when you start doing your work without my prodding, I'll consider it."

"Where's the fun in that?"

"Your job is to get it done, not to have fun. Besides, you don't need any encouragement to slack off. Speaking of which," she glanced at the pile of papers on his desk, "the soon those papers get dealt with the sooner we can call it a night."

She was right as always. With a sigh, Roy got back to work. At least they no longer needed to worry about hiding their relationship. With a wedding in the works and their engagement public knowledge, Roy was finally free to do things like kiss Riza whenever he wanted to. Well, it was more like whenever she let him, but still, it was nice. Roy sighed and reached for the next set of documents. He might as well get back to work. He glanced at Riza out of the corner of his eye and smile. No matter what happened, at least he had her at his side. Now, they just needed to survive the wedding.


	27. Happy Endings

**Happy Endings**

Roy knew there were probably several hundred people watching him right now. He didn't really care. He certainly wasn't that aware of them. The only thing that really existed for him in this moment was the woman standing beside him. Riza stood before him, her hands clasped in his own, as the priest spoke. Her ivory gown was simple and elegant as was the veil that was pinned to her hair along with several red camellias. Her eyes met his, and Roy felt like he was drowning in the love that he saw there. He wasn't even aware of what the priest was saying anymore.

They were finally getting married. It had taken six months from the death of King Bradley to get the wedding organize and the country stable enough that they could actually take the time and have a wedding and honeymoon. As it was, it wasn't going to be a very long honeymoon, but at least he and Riza would have a week just to themselves. He was looking forward to it. Neither of them had really had break since this whole mess had begun. But things were moving forward, and Roy could see changes beginning to be made.

But that didn't matter right now. Almost in a trance, Roy followed the priest's instructions, repeating the words after the man as he slid the slender gold band onto Riza's finger.

"This ring I give you in token and pledge of our constant faith and abiding love."

His hands shook a little as he did so, but the ring was there on her finger now for everyone to see. Riza repeated the motion and words then.

"This ring I give you in token and pledge of our constant faith and abiding love." Her hands also were trembling.

The priest droned on some more, and once again Roy tuned him out. The man's words didn't mean nearly as much as Riza's. The only thing Roy really cared about hearing was the words, "You may now kiss the bride."

As soon as those words left the man's lips, Roy found himself taking Riza in his arms and kissing her. Her arms slid around his neck and kissed him back. Lack of air was the only thing that made them separate. Taking Riza's hand in his own, the newly married couple made their way down the aisle. Outside they found a long tunnel made of the upraised swords of their fellow members of the military. Roy laughed. It was a long standing tradition for military weddings. Everyone from Riza's grandfather to Maes, the Elric brothers, and his own team to General Armstrong were all there. Riza smiled at him.

"Shall we?" Then she raised her voice. "Any one who thinks that they're smacking my behind with a sword when we exit the arch, I'll remind you that I am armed."

Roy laughed and kissed her again. Hand in hand, they ran through their colleagues' tribute. Roy had no doubt that this was hardly the end of their tale, but he knew what ever happened in the future, he and Riza would be happy with one another.


End file.
